Members of the National Transportation Safety Board work at the scene of yesterday's fatal crash, in Schoharie, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink) In this Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 photo, a body is draped under a blanket at the scene of a fatal crash in Schoharie, N.Y. (Tom Heffernan Sr. via AP) Members of the National Transportation Safety Board work at the scene of yesterday's fatal crash, in Schoharie, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink) (CNN) — The chauffeur in the deadly crash in upstate New York was a “great driver” and longtime employee of Prestige Limousine Chauffeur Service, the company’s attorney said Tuesday. Authorities say the driver did not have the proper license and that the vehicle had failed a recent inspection. But lawyer Lee Kindlon said the company’s owner thought the driver had a proper license. The company checked with the Department of Motor Vehicles “a number of different times” and were told that he did, Kindlon said. Kindlon also disagreed with statements that the stretched Ford Excursion should not have been on the road. “I am disputing that any recent failures of minor safety defects contributed to this crash,” he said. Authorities identified the driver as Scott T. Lisinicchia, 53, of Lake George, New York. Kindlon called him a “very reliable employee and a great driver.” Lisinicchia was among the 20 people who died in the wreck Saturday in Schoharie, New York, about 25 miles south of Amsterdam. Authorities have released the names of the 17 passengers, who rented the limo for a birthday party, and two pedestrians killed in the crash, along with the driver’s identity. For reasons still unknown, the limo plowed through a stop sign and crashed into a parked SUV, causing the deadliest US transportation accident in almost a decade. Federal, state and local investigators have flooded Schoharie to try to understand what happened. The wreck also has placed Prestige Limousine Chauffeur Service and its owner, Shahed Hussain, under scrutiny. Through his lawyer, Hussain expressed condolences to the victims’ families. Before he owned the company, the Pakistani national was an informant for the FBI, two sources confirmed to CNN. He became an informant for several months in 2008 and 2009, after he was convicted of fraud while he worked as a translator for the Department of Motor Vehicles in Albany, New York, records show. Condition of vehicle disputed The birthday party guests were riding in a 2001 Ford Excursion that was converted into a limousine. As more details emerge about the apparent broken rules, investigators also are looking into whether the unusual structure of the limo may have contributed to this mass tragedy. The company bought the Excursion already modified “just a couple of years ago,” its lawyer said. The state Department of Transportation conducted a periodic inspection last week and discovered “minor safety infractions,” including inoperative or defective windshield wipers and that a broken latch on a window, Kindlon said. Both issued were fixed, Kindlon said, and last week the state DOT that the vehicle “was roadworthy and they could drive it.” 01:19 - Source: CNN Most deadly US crash since 2009 kills 20 (2018) He disputed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statement that the vehicle failed its inspection. “I would just ask for the investigation to take place so we can figure out exactly why the vehicle crashed,” Kindlon said. State officials charged back, saying the vehicle was not allowed to be in service. “The assertion that the limousine was cleared to be on the road following the September inspection is categorically false,” said Joseph Morrissey, spokesman for the New York State Department of Transportation. “The vehicle was subject to inspections and the owner was warned not to operate the vehicle; the vehicle was placed out of service.” According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the vehicle had the following three violations in a September 4 inspection that earned it an “out of service” designation, meaning it could not be on the road because it poses an imminent hazard: • Operating a vehicle with seating in excess of the manufacturer’s designed seating capacity • No or defective bus emergency exits • Inspection, repair and maintenance of parts and accessories The vehicle had an additional seven violations that did not earn an “out of service” designation, including failure to correct defects previously noted. Company’s vehicles off the road National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said investigators are working to learn the vehicle’s speed at the time of the crash. More about the driver’s state and whether all 19 seats in the limo had lap-shoulder belts will also be scrutinized, as well as if the passengers were wearing them, which is not required by law. The company said it has taken its fleet off the road, and state police seized three of the company’s vehicles in addition to the modified limo involved in the crash, State Police Maj. Robert Patnaude said. Cuomo said officials are working on a cease-and-desist order to keep its vehicles from operating until the investigation is over. Prestige Limousine Chauffeur Service is looking into Lisinicchia’s history as part of an internal investigation, Kindlon said. The company has met with federal and state investigators and plans to do so again. It is collecting maintenance records, driver logs and ownership records, and intends to turn them over to authorities, he added. The company’s owner is currently in Pakistan, where he travels frequently. “He is ready and able to come back whenever they need him,” Kindlon said. “His heart is broken and his family’s heart is broken,” Kindlon said. “Anything that he can do to make this right, he’ll do. And he’s so very sorry for everything that’s happened.” Hussain skirted deportation for a fraud conviction by agreeing to cooperate with an investigation into another person. In 2007, Hussain became a paid informant for the FBI and started working in the lower Hudson Valley, records show. Hussain was charged with finding Muslims who might be plotting against the United States, records show. Hussain attended services at a mosque in Newburgh at the direction of the FBI in 2008, records show.<doc-sep>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. Oct. 8:About 2,500 turnout for New York limo crash victims vigil Oct. 8:Upstate New York limo crash is among the deadliest road accidents in US history 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. Oct. 8:A wedding, a birthday, a tragedy: Stories of the New York limo crash victims Oct. 8:Limo in fatal New York crash failed inspection; driver lacked 'appropriate' license: Cuomo "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. Oct. 8:'My heart is sunken:' Tight-knit Amsterdam rocked by N.Y. limo crash that killed 20 Oct. 8:Victim texted limo was in 'terrible condition' minutes before crash killed 20 in New York 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 Oct. 8:Hiring a limo service or van tour? 5 tips to ensure a safe trip Oct. 8:New York limo crash raises safety, regulation questions for industry Oct. 8:New York limo crash raises safety, regulation questions for industry Oct. 7:'Horrific' limo crash kills 20 in upstate New York<doc-sep>[The son of the limo company owner at the center of the investigation was arrested.] In 2001, a 45-year-old gas-station owner from Pakistan named Shahed Hussain walked into the Department of Motor Vehicles in Albany and obtained a driver’s license using fake documents for a would-be taxi driver who paid him $1,000. Mr. Hussain was caught, faced federal charges and, to avoid deportation, began a secret career that led him to pose as a recruiter of terrorists. He continued to run a series of businesses with his family, despite bankruptcy and legal issues — including, eventually, a limousine service that repeatedly ran afoul of state inspectors. Now, Mr. Hussain’s improbable journey — from asylum-seeking immigrant to petty criminal to trusted ally of government prosecutors, has taken yet another turn. His complicated past is central to the investigation of the nation’s deadliest crash in years.<doc-sep>Here’s what we know about the 20 people killed on Saturday. Savannah D. Bursese, 24 She was a 2015 graduate from Hartwick College, the school said in a statement. Ms. Bursese of Johnstown studied political science and business administration, and was on the volleyball team, the statement said. “Please know that our entire community stands with you in this time of grief, and they join me in cherishing Savannah’s memory,” Karen P. McGrath, the vice president for enrollment and student experience, said in the statement. Rachael K. Cavosie, 30 Ms. Cavosie of Waterford, N.Y., was known as “Rach,” according to a Go Fund Me page that was set up to help her parents with funeral expenses. “Three months apart in age, we grew up together,” Alyssa Cavosie, a cousin, wrote in a Facebook post. “She’s a soul that touched so many lives including mine. She gave me so much guidance and even though she was the younger cousin, I looked up to her and often sought her advice throughout my life.”<doc-sep>
Federal safety records obtained by NBC News show that the limousine involved in an upstate New York crash that killed 20 had been cited this year for numerous violations, including having "brakes out of service." Saturday's crash in Schoharie was being investigated by the National Safety Transportation Board. All eighteen people inside the modified, "stretch" 2001 Ford Excursion — the 17 passengers were celebrating a surprise birthday party — died when it barreled down a hill and struck a parked SUV. Two pedestrians were killed when that vehicle hit them, authorities said. The limo was operated by Prestige Limousine of Gansevort, N.Y. The "brakes out of service" citation, issued after a March 21 inspection, indicated that 20 percent or more of the roughly 5-ton vehicle's stopping power was compromised. The records also indicate that brake lines were constricted or obstructed. This could apply to lines running to the rear brakes, which have to be extended when a constructor cuts a vehicle and then adds length to convert it into a limousine. Frank Figueroa, president of Pinnacle Limousine Manufacturing of City of Industry, Calif. — which did not work on the Prestige limo in Saturday's crash — said brake-line constriction would be rare because the lines, even extended ones, should be made of steel. "There's no way of compressing those," he said. Front brake lines, he said, are usually untouched in the process. He added that he believes the Excursion's 11,000-pound towing capacity means that its original braking system should be able to handle any extra weight a stretch job and extra passengers throw at the vehicle. The 'brakes out of service' citation was for a limousine with the same vehicle identification number as the one destroyed in Saturday's tragedy. That inspection report also listed "defective bus emergency exits" and violations for "inspection, repair and maintenance." Following a Sept. 4 inspection for a vehicle with the Excursion's license plate, "TOGALUX1," citations included malfunctioning anti-lock braking system warning lights, operating the SUV without making at least some of the corrections mandated by the previous inspection report, operating the limo without proof that it's had proper inspection, having out-of-compliance state registration or plates, and operating a vehicle in excess of a manufacturer's designed seating capacity. Limo constructor Figueroa said firms that use vehicles as old as the 2001 Excursion are considered to be "third-tier guys" in smaller cities. Debris is seen scattered Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, at the site of yesterday's fatal crash Schoharie, New York. Hans Pennink / AP Prestige also had at least one other vehicle with inspection red flags, including brake system concerns and worn tires, federal records show. They indicate 22 violations this year for the company's 3-vehicle fleet. NBC News reached out to an attorney for Prestige but did not receive an immediate response. Prestige said in statements issued through its attorney that it has been diligent in making repairs and fixing defects and that it would cooperate with investigators while its fleet has been voluntarily mothballed. "Prestige Limousine extends its deepest condolences to the family members and friends of those who tragically lost their lives on Saturday," its latest statement reads. On Sunday authorities said driver Scott T. Lisinicchia, 53, did not have the specific commercial driver's license required to drive that limousine. The late driver's family said in a statement Tuesday that it believes that "unbeknownst to him he was provided with a vehicle that was neither roadworthy nor safe for any of its occupants." Responding to that, Lee Kindlon, an attorney for Prestige, told WNBC, "The driver was a longtime employee and friend. Our focus right now is offering condolences to the victims. We're waiting for the investigation and process to take hold."