The Iconoclast
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Bosnian Drivers License Scam In Spokane

Spokane Washington (hat tip: Refugee Resettlement Watch). Ann Corcoran notes: "In the aftermath of Bill Clinton’s war in Bosnia, the United States admitted over 100,000 Bosnian Muslims as refugees.  They got taxpayer funded airfare, a rent subsidy, food stamps, health care, and a caseworker to find them a job.   Here’s how they repay the charity."

The FBI has cracked a Spokane-based ring that it says paid bribes to a state contractor and used foreign-language interpreters to help Bosnian immigrants cheat on tests to obtain commercial driver licenses fraudulently from the state of Washington.

An estimated 100 individuals – most or all of them Bosnian immigrants – each paid $2,500 to the Spokane “commercial driving school” over the past three years to get commercial, or CDL, licenses that were then recognized by other states under reciprocal agreements.

Commercial driver licenses allow the holder to drive 18-wheel semi-trucks, including those that transport hazardous and toxic materials, and school buses.

Two Spokane men, Brano Milovanovic, 48, who operates “CDL Consulting,” and Suad Grebic, 19, were arrested Thursday in Spokane by FBI agents assigned to the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force. Search warrants also were served and agents recovered evidence, authorities said.

Although no specific acts of terrorism are alleged, the task force was involved in the yearlong investigation because it involved foreign nationals living in the United States who fraudulently obtained commercial driver licenses, allowing them to legally transport hazardous and toxic materials...

Posted on 01/31/2008 8:25 AM by Rebecca Bynum
Comments
31 Jan 2008
Send an emailHugh Fitzgerald

Have these people managed to acquire citizenship yet? If they have, then there is a need for a law that would strip anyone of citizenship who, as in this case, have been the beneficiaries of misplaced American generosity, who have been extended every conceivable kind of aid, and have instead, quite quickly, engaged in a fraud the results of which -- unqualified drivers of 18-wheel rigs -- threatens lives of the citizens who gave them that chance, those great privileges and benefits.

The expulson of these drivers, en masse, right back to Bosnia, would be, or would have been (had such a law existed)  a salutary lesson.



2 Feb 2008
Send an emailmiki

Ok first of all Brano Milovanovic is a Serb, a Bosnian Serb. Not a Muslim. So pleas before you post a rasist story get  at least your facts right.

Also while most Bosnians that came to US did recieve help from the government, this was for a short period of 2 - 3 months. But wouldn't that be understandable? They didn't speak english at that time and it was a new country to them. Belive me, they all repayed the US all the help they recieved. 99% of this Bosnian are now law obaying citizens, who pay taxes and bring more to the American economy then most middle class Americans do. Also the airfare was not founded by the taxpayers. Bosnian immigrant payed their own airfair tickets. There is many more details which are wrong in this story, but not enough time to list them all.

Now to the fact that these individuals obtained illegal Drivers Licences. I think they should be punished but the full extent of the law. Not only did they risk their own lifes driving this truck, they also risked other peoples lifes. They shouldn't be able to obtain a CDL licens ever again and Brano Milovanovic should never ever be able to translate again.



17 Feb 2008
Send an emailnela
Tacno je da ste vi Muslimani svi imali sponzore dolazeci u Ameriku ,dok su Srbi bili ti koji su bili "losi momci ". Tacno je da je Brano Srbin, ali je isti radio najvise za Muslimane.Tacno je da je uz njegovo ime u ovom slucaju dodato i ime Suada Grebica.Ako su Muslimani tako posteni sto su trazili Branu da za njih polaze.To je moj komentar na Mikijev komentar.

3 Mar 2008
SUKI

Dont you people have better things to do.. ??? seriously..??