O'Hare Fake Badge Flap Reveals Security Breach

Nov. 7, 2007 — -- After government investigators reported finding that workers with counterfeit badges had gained access to restricted areas at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, it triggered a series of arrests that has officials questioning security at one of the nation's busiest airports.

Authorities arrested more than 20 suspects, all believed to be illegal immigrants, after federal agents found they were allegedly using fake and expired security badges that allowed them widespread access to the airport, including unfettered access to commercial planes.

The workers, who loaded food and cargo onto aircraft, were employees of Ideal Staffing Services Inc., a temporary employment company whose managers allegedly assisted in getting them bogus security badges.

A corporate officer and office manager employed with Ideal Staffing were also arrested Wednesday as part of the investigation.

"We can have no tolerance for people who set up businesses for people with fake identities to have access to secure areas of the airport," U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said at a press conference announcing the arrests.

Ideal Staffing's Mary Gurin, 36, of Carpentersville, Ill., and Norinye Benitez, 24, of Franklin Park, Ill., each face one count of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, and an additional count of misuse of Social Security numbers.

Authorities said Benitez herself is in the United States illegally, and that Gurin was aware of her reputed illegal immigration status but still signed her airport badge application.

An affidavit filed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent stated that in a Nov. 4 interview with Benitez, she said that "Gurin is the person who directs her work at Ideal Staffing," and that "Benitez also stated that she advised Gurin that she was an illegal alien at around the time she began working for Ideal Staffing."

According to a separate affidavit detailing Benitez's alleged activities, on her application for a security badge "she used an SSN [Social Security number] with the last four digits of 6291. The SSN used was issued to a person with a different name in Iowa in 1973."