Husted delays 1 probe of illegals' license plates
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 3:11 AM
By Randy Ludlow
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


The Ohio Senate will step aside while the state inspector general investigates the flow of fraudulently obtained license plates to illegal immigrants.

The Senate Government Oversight Committee will delay its planned hearings into the issue at the request of Inspector General Thomas P. Charles, said the committee chairman, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering.

"The inspector general's request reflects the serious nature of his investigation into potential criminal matters involved with this scandal," Husted said yesterday in a statement.

"During this period of postponement, the committee will seek public records it needs to conduct its own investigation in the future," he said.

The Dispatch reported Sept. 13 that public-safety officials delayed enacting new vehicle-registration procedures to end the issuance of license plates to thousands of undocumented workers.

Former Public Safety Director Henry Guzman postponed the reforms July 31, 2008 -- the day before they were to take effect -- after meeting with Latino business owners who cater to illegal immigrants.

Present at the meeting were so-called "runners," Latinos with legal U.S. residency who charged fees of more than $100 to use falsified power-of-attorney forms and register vehicles on behalf of illegal immigrants. Guzman said he was unaware runners attended the gathering.

Guzman said the identity-verification procedures accompanying the new power-of-attorney policy were fraught with problems and needed improvements before they were implemented on Aug. 24 of this year.

Husted also said that he thinks Charles needs more money and manpower to handle his growing workload of investigations. He called on Gov. Ted Strickland and lawmakers to allocate more money to the inspector general's office. Charles declined to comment.

www.dispatchpolitics.com