Jamaican Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining a U.S. Passport

Jamaican Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining a U.S. Passport

Release Date:
December 22, 2014

PHILADELPHIA – Wayne Christopher Morgan, 42, of Jamaica, was sentenced Friday to eight months incarceration, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for obtaining a U.S. passport through fraudulent statements.

Federal authorities initially arrested Morgan at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on June 6 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered that Morgan made false statements and assumed the identity of a Florida man in his application for a U.S. passport.

Special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and from the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) conducted the investigation and filed the arrest charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted Morgan, who presented a guilty plea on September 23.

“Violating U.S. immigration law is a very serious offense and U.S. Customs and Border Protection hopes this conviction sends a strong message to deter others wishing to violate our nation’s immigration laws. This case also illustrates the tremendous collaboration between our respective law enforcement agencies to end this impostor’s charade,” said Susan Stranieri, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia.

“This criminal’s sentence is a lesson to anyone who tries to unlawfully enter our country,” said John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia. “We will continue to work with CBP and other partners to safeguard our nation’s access.”

Morgan arrived to PHL on the evening of June 5 from Montego Bay, Jamaica and presented a U.S. passport in the name of a U.S. citizen from Florida to a CBP officer. The CBP officer referred him to a comprehensive secondary inspection where a biometric examination revealed a Department of State record on Morgan, a Jamaican citizen who was denied a U.S. visitor’s Visa in 2007.

Morgan will be returned to Jamaica upon adjudication of his charges.

CBP maintains a robust posture regarding the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws, and occasionally intercepts fraudulent or altered identity documents, and travelers who present legitimate documents that belong to other individuals.

Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP’s Travel website to learn rules governing travel to and from the U.S.
To learn more about how CBP secures our nation’s borders, please visit CBP's Border Security website.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-me...y-obtaining-us