ALBANY, N.Y. — The limousine in a deadly crash that killed 20 people Saturday in upstate New York had failed inspection last month, and the driver didn't have the appropriate license to operate the vehicle, Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed Monday.

Cuomo said the limousine was owned by Prestige Limousine in the Albany area but didn't have the necessary federal certification to operate and failed a state inspection just last month.

"The driver of the vehicle — the quote-unquote limousine — did not have the appropriate driver’s license to be operating that vehicle," Cuomo told reporters in Manhattan.

"Second, that vehicle was inspected by the New York state Department of Transportation last month and failed inspection and was not supposed to be on the road."

► Oct. 8:Victim texted limo was in 'terrible condition' minutes before crash killed 20

► Oct. 8:New York limo crash raises safety, regulation questions for industry

► Oct. 8:What we know about fatal limo crash that killed 20 in upstate New York

Later, State Police confirmed Cuomo's comments, but the National Transportation Safety Board said it was still determining whether the company had the necessary federal approvals.

The revelations come as authorities continue to investigate the deadly crash that killed 17 passengers, the driver and two pedestrians in the rural town of Schoharie, New York.

The owner of the company that operated the 2001 Ford Excursion, Prestige Limousine in Wilton, New York, is Shahed Hussain, 62, whose backstory includes numerous stints as an undercover informant for the FBI.

Cuomo said the 2001 Ford Excursion needed federal certification to be operated as a limousine but didn't have it. It also failed an on-site state inspection.

"The owners of the company had no business putting a failed vehicle on the roadway," the governor said.

A federal website indicates the limousine company also does not have the proper insurance, but that could not be independently verified.

In a statement, the company offered its condolences to the deceased and said it was cooperating with the investigation.

"We have voluntarily taken our fleet of vehicles off of the road during the investigation," Prestige said.

"We have already met with State and Federal investigators, and plan to do so again, as it is our goal to provide answers as quickly as possible."

Hussain's companies have three vehicles and employ two drivers, according to online records maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The three vehicles that he owns have been inspected five times in the past two years, and on four of those occasions the vehicle was ordered out of service as unsafe until repairs could be made.

Despite the inspection record, Hussain and his companies maintained an “active” status with the federal motor-carrier agency.

The state has now ordered Prestige to cease operations, Cuomo said.

► Oct. 8:Tight-knit Amsterdam rocked by N.Y. limo crash that killed 20

► Oct. 7:'Horrific' limo crash kills 20 in upstate New York

The passengers appeared to recognize problems with the limousine as they traveled in it.

Valerie Abeling told The Washington Post that her niece, Erin McGowan, 34, and her husband, Shane McGowan, 30, were among the limousine victims, and Erin McGowanhad sent a text message to Abeling's daughter complaining about the condition of the car.

Erin McGowan, in fact, texted a friend, saying, "The motor is making everyone deaf," according to The New York Times.

Abeling said the limousine appeared to replace a bus the group had ordered for their trip to a Cooperstown, New York, brewery.

Cuomo said the driver needed a commercial driver's license but didn't have one.

State Police later clarified: In New York, a limousine with 15 or more seats falls under the definition of a bus and requires the driver to have a "passenger endorsement."

The driver did not have that classification, State Police said.

Cuomo explained the SUV was a "chopped vehicle. ... This was a Ford that was cut and extended."

As a result, it needed federal approval to operate as a limousine.

"This vehicle did not have that certification that it was extended in a way that was compliant with federal law," he said.

Meanwhile, an on-site inspection by the state in September also showed the vehicle was not safe for the road because it failed the inspection, he said. Cuomo said it was too soon to know whether speed was a factor or whether the crash was the result of a mechanical failure.

Cuomo said it was too soon to know whether speed was a factor, or if the crash was the result of a mechanical failure.

State Police said Monday that its troopers were still investigating and gave few new details about what caused the crash.

The state issued a cease-and-desist order to the company to stop operating in New York.

Hussain immigrated from Pakistan in the early 1990s, fleeing a murder charge that he later said was trumped up, according to news reports. He worked as a translator for the New York state Department of Motor Vehicles but was caught helping people cheat DMV exams in return for money.

He later was accused of making fraudulent statements in a personal bankruptcy case. Hussain avoided prosecution by becoming an informant, working in the Muslim community to find people that had radical tendencies.

His work led to the 2006 conviction of two men in Albany who were accused of expressing interest in buying a shoulder-fired missile. However, civil-liberties groups questioned the tactics of the FBI and its informant.

Three years later, Hussain went undercover in Newburgh, New York, helping the FBI win conviction of four men who they accused of planning to shoot down airliners and plant bombs. Critics said Hussain induced the men to plot the crimes by offering cash payments.

Albany-area lawyer Dana Salazar, who represented Hussain in a civil action against Saratoga County, verified Monday that her client had indeed been the celebrated informant.

Cuomo said sometimes the answer isn't always new laws.

"So sometimes you say, 'Well maybe we should inspect more frequently, maybe this, maybe this,' " Cuomo said.

"Sometimes people just don't follow the law. And that may very well be what happened here."

Contributing: Steve Orr, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle. Follow Joseph Spector on Twitter: @GannettAlbany

.