U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced the arrest of Youngshin Nam, also known as Yejin Nam, a 41-year-old citizen of South Korea. She faces charges related to illegal re-entry into the United States and making false statements. These charges carry a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, who is managing the case, detailed that Nam attempted to enter the U.S. by plane at an airport in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 3, 2024. Her entry was denied and she was returned to South Korea with a notification that she was barred from traveling under the Visa Waiver Program for five years. Later in July 2024, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her in Texas and subsequently removed her from the country in September.
On May 4, 2025, Nam was found riding in a taxi registered in Ontario, Canada during a primary inspection at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara Falls, NY. She presented a South Korean passport under the name Yejin Nam as proof of identity. The vehicle was referred for secondary inspection where initially Nam resisted routine electronic fingerprinting but eventually complied. This revealed an immigration fingerprint identification number issued under "Youngshin Nam" following her arrest by Border Patrol agents in Texas.
Further investigation revealed discrepancies on paperwork for the Visa Waiver Program where Nam answered "NO" to questions about using other names or aliases and prior refusal of admission to the United States.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
Nam appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr., where she was detained pending further proceedings.
The complaint arose from an investigation conducted by Customs and Border Protection under Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy's leadership.
It is important to note that being charged with a crime is merely an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
