Houston company linked to fake IDs for immigrants
Nebraska officials warn of the driver’s license scheme
OSKAR GARCIA

OMAHA, Neb. — State officials in Nebraska were warning Monday of a scheme to sell fake driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, under the promise that the documents will let people legally drive, buy and sell cars.

A Houston-based company has taken out ads in newspapers and distributed fliers to Hispanic businesses in Omaha, Grand Island and Lincoln, offering so-called international licenses and state ID cards for about $200, Angel Freytez, of the Nebraska Mexican American Commission, said.

Private companies do not sell documents that grant legal driving privileges in the United States, and people who buy them can be arrested if they present them to authorities during traffic stops, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The company was doing business as Centro de Identificaciones Inc. in Harris County. A telephone message left with the company was not returned.

It was not clear how many people actually bought documents from the company, but other companies that have made similar claims have sold to thousands of immigrants willing to jump at the chance for any type of legal documentation.

“We see these so-called ‘fantasy documents’ or … ‘novelty documents’ fairly frequently,â€