Man who owned limo in fatal N.Y. crash had informed on terrorists for FBI

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The aging limousine that crashed Saturday in New York killing 20, was operated by a company with a record of failed inspections – and an owner who was a controversial FBI informant.

The 2001 Ford Excursion was operated by Prestige Limousine, a small company that shares an address with a run-down motel in the Saratoga County, New York, town of Wilton, just north of tony Saratoga Springs.

The company is owned by Shahed Hussain, whose backstory includes numerous stints as an undercover informant for the FBI.

Authorities said Hussain, 62, is in his native Pakistan at present. Other company executives have pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

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Asked whether Hussain is under criminal investigation, New York State Police Major Robert Patnaude said anyone found to be criminally culpable will be "held accountable."

Hussain is the registered owner of four livery companies that share the same Wilton address – Prestige Limousine, Chauffeur Service Saratoga, Luxury Limousine and Hasy Limousine. The companies' mailing address is in Gansevoort, a nearby hamlet.

Prestige in Saratoga County is a separate business from other limo companies in New York that have the same or similar names.

Lawyer confirms FBI informant status

Albany-area lawyer Dana Salazar, who represented Shahed Hussain in a civil action against Saratoga County that revolved around the Saratoga Road motel property, verified Monday that her client had indeed been the celebrated informant.

Hussain emigrated from Pakistan in the early 1990s, fleeing a murder charge that he later said was trumped up, according to news reports. He worked as a translator for the New York state Department of Motor Vehicles but was caught helping people cheat on DMV exams in return for money.

He later was accused of making fraudulent statements in a personal bankruptcy case as well.

Hussain pleaded guilty to a felony in relation to the DMV scam but avoided prison and deportation by becoming an informant, working in New York's Muslim communities to find people who had radical tendencies.

His undercover work led to the 2006 conviction of two men in Albany who were accused of expressing interest in buying a shoulder-fired missile. Civil liberties groups questioned the tactics used by the FBI and its informant, however.

When Hussain was sentenced in 2006 for the DMV scam, a federal judge spared him additional prison time after prosecutors argued he had provided "substantial assistance" in the Albany terrorism sting as well as a drug and fraud case in which 12 defendants were convicted.

Three years later, Hussain went undercover in Newburgh, New York, helping the FBI win conviction of four men who they accused of planning to shoot down airliners and plant bombs in Bronx synagogues. Critics said Hussain induced the men to plot the crimes by offering cash payments.

HBO aired a documentary on the case, "The Newburgh Sting," in 2014. A New York Times reviewer said the film laid out a convincing case that the four men had been "fall guys" for the FBI.

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"And, perhaps perversely, it’s hard not to come away without some degree of admiration for Mr. Hussain, seen and heard only in the grainy videos shot in his car and living room," said reviewer Mike Hale. "He puts on a superior performance over a long period of time and lies with breathtaking ease and quickness. If there were Oscars for informants, he’d be on the red carpet every year."

Inspection records

Hussain's companies have three vehicles and employ two drivers, according to online records maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The make of those vehicles is not listed in the database, and it is not clear whether Hussain owned the 2001 Ford Excursion.

Three vehicles that he owns have been inspected five times in the last two years, and on four of those occasions the vehicle was ordered out of service as unsafe until repairs could be made, the database showed.

In brief remarks Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the vehicle that crashed failed a New York state inspection last month. The state has now ordered Prestige in Saratoga County to cease operations, Cuomo said.

The federal inspection records show two Ford limousines owned by the company failing inspections last month.

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It was not clear whether the failed Department of Motor Vehicle inspection was one of those listed in the federal database.

Despite that record, Hussain and his companies maintained an “active” status with the federal motor-carrier agency. The companies' vehicles were driven a total of 3,500 miles last year, and had no accidents in the previous two years, according to the database.

Hussain could not be reached for comment Monday. The Prestige Limousine phone number listed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration no longer is in service, and there was no answer at the motel or at two other limousine companies associated with Hussain.

Contributing: Jonathan Bandler, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News and Joseph Spector, Gannett Albany (N.Y.) Bureau. Follow Steve Orr on Twitter: @SOrr1

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