GREENVILLE, N.C. - A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a man, who is a naturalized citizen of the U.S., born in Jamaica, with naturalization fraud, passport fraud, and use and possession of fraudulent documents.
According to the superseding indictment, Anthony Morris McFarlane, 53, of Pitt County, allegedly failed to disclose during his naturalization proceeding that he had committed the crime of attempted first-degree sexual abuse of a child less than 11 years old. McFarlane thereafter was naturalized as a United States citizen and fraudulently obtained and used multiple United States passports.
If convicted, McFarlane faces a maximum penalty of 90 years in prison, a $2,250,000 fine, and the revocation of his citizenship.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, pursuant to Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative to identify and prosecute felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship are investigating the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
