The Minnesota Department of Vehicle Services figured something was fishy with some driver’s licenses given out over the years; some folks were pulling a fast one with fakes. So, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work tracking them down. Using facial recognition software from the feds, paired with good ol’ manual labor, they sifted through a whopping 11 million photos. Out of those, they spotted about 24,000 potential fakes. Right now, they’ve nailed down 10,000 as definite phonies. This is crucial because it keeps the roads safer and makes sure that only rightful drivers hold the reins. For those intrigued by the chase and curious about the results, there’s much more under the surface.

These licenses were immediately canceled.

Minnesota is just the first of what is expected to be numerous states which will be culling their records for fraudulent licenses. With a fake driver’s license a criminal could obtain a mortgage, any sort of bank loan; or even a passport. A U.S. issued driver’s license is an easy way to obtain all sorts of fraudulent records. For someone looking to do something bad, a fraudulent Minnesota driver’s license is the first step.

Of these 24,000 driver’s licenses, about 10,000 have been canceled. Beyond that, not much else has been done. Not a single name has been given yet to the Department of Human Services to check for welfare or food stamp fraud, and no names have been given or the Secretary of State to check against the voter rolls.

And what about criminal prosecution? Well, that is a very good question.

“All I can say we’ve referred 5,500 cases to an agency who can take any action necessary,” Neville said.

But the state won’t say which law enforcement agency, and the FOX 9 Investigators could only find a handful of prosecutions.

Those include people like Edward Sistrunk, aka Antonio Andolini, convicted last month for mail fraud and identity theft. He had state ID cards and Minnesota driver’s licenses under at least nine different names.

Under one identity alone he got 10,381 in benefits from Hennepin County Human Services and another $1,190 in housing assistance from Anoka County. He used those real IDs to get credit cards, counterfeit checks, and even other IDs in South Dakota.

So with 23,000 potential fraudulent IDs, shouldn’t we know who’s job it is to hold accountable? Neville said that’s law enforcement’s job, but law enforcement doesn’t give anyone to call up.