New State/Federal Secure I.D. Initiative IDs Identity Thieves... and Illegals
In the ever-increasing cooperation between federal and state authorities, especially in the immigration sphere, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has authorized a Secure Identity Initiative, under which United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Department of Drivers Services combine resources to investigate identity theft offenses. The first person to fall in the Secure I.D. Initiative was Mr. Al Amin Patni, a Pakistani national, who was living in Marietta, Georgia. Mr. Al Patni was previously deported from the United States and subsequently re-entered the country. However, when Mr. Patni used another person's Social Security number to open a checking account, he was discovered in a joint investigation by ICE and GBI agents under the Initiative. Mr. Patni has been indicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for misuse of a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft and illegal reentry.
