It was not clear what if any role beyond sharing with some of the hijackers the same address in Falls Church, Va., that Mr. Alfauru played in the ring that provided the illegal identification or in the Sept. 11 attacks.
As a result of those problems, the officials said, the Department of Motor Vehicles offices and some corrupt clerks working there have become a vital link in schemes to sell illegal identification documents, like motor vehicle licenses, that the state police say are netting the sellers billions of dollars annually.
They would receive information about unknown people from various foreign countries, such as Russia and China, as well as via statewide suppliers — who would use a skimming device to swipe consumer credit card information at retail or food establishments — and illegal identification-gathering websites, according to the court documents.
"We've seen people in every contest that we've covered being disenfranchised by a perceived, incorrect or illegal restrictive identification requirement," partly because some poll workers have demanded more identification than was required by law, Goldman said.
As one put it: "The authorities are [pressuring] us to accept an illegal Bengali identification card, and if not they [say they] will not protect us from the attacking of [our village].
Yet he and Mr. Chertoff both made it clear that several related issues had been resolved at the same time, suggesting horse-trading between Albany and Washington over the thorny issues of illegal aliens, national identification cards and easy crossing of the New York-Canadian border.
Her deputies, he charged, minted illegal law enforcement identifications for the politically well-connected, giving them a veneer of authority.
Some poll workers, apparently confused about the requirements in their state, were implementing illegal and restrictive voter identification requirements, turning away eligible voters who did not have identification.
The next year, Mr. O'Bryant was arrested in Annapolis, Md., on charges of possessing illegal weapons and false identification.
Law enforcement officials have been working to integrate fingerprint databases, for instance, in order to speed the identification of illegal residents with criminal records and terrorist ties.
Officials said Mr. de Guzman would be charged under the Access Devices Regulation Act, which governs illegal use of personal identification numbers and credit cards.
