BOSTON - A man traveling from the Dominican Republic under an assumed identity was arrested yesterday for attempting to enter the United States using a false U.S. passport.
The defendant, whose identity has not yet been confirmed and who was charged as John Doe, was charged with misuse of a passport and is being held pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 12, 2020.
According to charging documents, the defendant arrived in Boston on a commercial flight from the Dominican Republic on March 4, 2020. While attempting to pass inspection by Customs and Border Protection at Boston Logan International Airport, he provided officers a U.S. Passport bearing his image, but the name, date of birth and social security number of a different person.
An investigation revealed that the defendant allegedly applied for the passport in November 2019 in Brighton, Massachusetts. In the application, he fraudulently listed the personal identifying information of a United States citizen from Puerto Rico. He also attached a copy of the citizen’s birth certificate in support of the application. The passport was issued to the defendant under the assumed identity of the citizen.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistance was provided by Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak III of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
