U.S.

Jail Time For Helping Hijackers

February 1, 2002 / 1:08 PM EST / AP

Two men who helped two of the Sept. 11 hijackers obtain false IDs were sentenced to prison Friday.

Victor M. Lopez-Flores, who pleaded guilty to falsely certifying that two of the hijackers were Virginia residents, was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Herbert Villalobos, who admitted driving the two to a lawyer's office to get the forms, was sentenced to four months. Since he has served four-and-a-half months while awaiting sentencing, he is expected to be released soon.

The two hijackers, identified as Abdul Aziz Alomari and Ahmed Alghamdi, paid both men for their help.

Prosecutors said they don't believe either defendant knew what the hijackers were planning to do.

In announcing the sentences, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee criticized the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles for allowing people to obtain IDs without proof of residency or identity.

"Some of the fault lies with the Department of Motor Vehicles for the very lax procedures we had at that time," the judge said.

Villalobos' attorney, Patrick Anderson, said in court that his client was kept in isolation almost the entire time he was detained.

"We live in completely irrational times," he said after the hearing. "The country has gone insane."

Lopez-Flores, who is from El Salvador, received a longer sentence because he was in the United States illegally after being deported for a criminal conviction.