2 Investigators

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested suspects accused of compromising security at O'Hare Airport. In addition to the dozens under arrest, at least another hundred people are wanted. They are all accused of using airport ID badges to breach security.

CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini reports that federal investigations were launched after the 2 Investigators series, "Fly At Your Own Risk," which exposed how fraudulent airport security badges are used to bypass background checks and airport screeners.

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"This investigation identified national security vulnerabilities," said Elissa Brown of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

CBS 2 uncovered the biggest security breach of its kind, a scheme that put airline travelers and homeland security at risk. Twenty-three people working at O'Hare for a contractor doing business with major airlines face federal charges. As many at 106 more employees are wanted after allegedly using phony Social Security numbers to gain security badges that allowed them into secure airport areas like, the tarmac and into planes.

"In the 134 names that were checked against Social Security numbers 110 of 134 did not match, some matched another person, some did not exist," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

Authorities say security badges were being handed out to illegal immigrants by a Bensenville company called Ideal Solutions. A manager and executive have also been charged.

"The Ideal staffing manager had a worker look through a box of 20 airport security badges and told them to pick the one looked closer to him," Brown said.

These are the kind of security badges first exposed by the CBS 2 Investigators nine months ago as missing. The 2 Investigators found 3,872 badges were unaccounted for.

With the help of a badge, the CBS 2 hidden camera gained access to planes, the tarmac and terminals without ever being checked by security.

Authorities say they launched investigation shortly after CBS 2's findings.

"I give you kudos," Brown said. "You are the guys that often bring stuff to our attention saying, OK we need to look at this."

The 2 Investigators also exposed how other airport contractors threw out employee badging information without shredding Social Security numbers or identification cards. We found evidence in garbage dumpsters for airport contractors that badges were missing, and revealed how Chicago's Department of Aviation failed to monitor its badging program.

The phony Social Security numbers on badge application forms were sent to the Chicago Department of Aviation. They should have caught the fraud -- but didn't.

Instead, the department gave badges to these criminals who then had free access to roam O'Hare's most sensitive security areas, and free access to aircrafts.

A Department of Aviation spokesman says the city department is cooperating with federal agencies in this ongoing investigation.

Sources tell the 2 Investigators the Department of Aviation also is now being investigated.

"If these badges are floating all over the place, is the Department of Aviation doing its job? A fair and important question and a question that needs to be answered from the ongoing investigation," said Inspector General David Hoffman.

An office manager and corporate executive for Ideal Solutions staffing face charges of harboring illegal aliens. The question now is, how did these illegal workers get past the Chicago Department of Aviation's badging office screeners and fingerprint checks?

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