Shahed Hussain, a 62-year-old Pakistan native, has been identified as the owner of the Prestige Limousine company that operated the limo that crashed and killed 20 people in New York on Saturday, October 6. The Prestige Limousine company had a history of failed inspections.
According to authorities, the 2001 Ford Excursion limo that was being driven by 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia was traveling southwest on State Route 30 when it sped through an intersection with State Route 30 A and collided with an SUV in a parking lot. The incident happened around 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, in Schoharie, New York.
Lisinicchia, all 18 passengers, and the two pedestrians that were standing near the parked 2015 Toyota Highlander were also killed. Witness reports from the scene of the crash said that the limo was traveling approximately 60mph when it ran through a stop sign before blowing into the parked 2015 Toyota Highlander.
A report from The Washington Post says that Erin McGowan, a passenger on the limo who died in the accident, texted her aunt Valerie Abeling to say that the limo was “in terrible condition.” Furthermore, Abeling indicated that the group had originally rented a bus to take them to their destination, however, it broke down, which caused the transportation company to send a limo to take the group the rest of the way.
Following the tragedy, it has been revealed that Hussain, the owner of the limo company, was an FBI informant.
via USA Today:
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. 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.”
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.
The accident was the deadliest transportation accident in the United States in nine years.
Who Is Shahed Hussain?
Shahed Hussain is a 62-year-old Pakistan native that has been identified as an FBI informant and the owner of the Prestige Limousine company that operated the 2001 Ford Excursion limo that involved in the October 6th death of 20 people.
What Happened?
A 2001 Ford Excursion limo that was carrying 18 people and being driven by 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia was traveling southwest on State Route 30 when it sped through an intersection with State Route 30 A and collided with an SUV in a parking lot.
The crash happened around 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, in Schoharie, New York, and took the lives of 20 people.
