Jamaican jailed for fraudulently obtaining US passport

PHILADELPHIA (CMC) – The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency says a Jamaican has been jailed for eight months for fraudulently obtaining a US passport.

CBP said Wayne Christopher Morgan, 42, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and a US$100 special assessment in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for “obtaining a US passport through fraudulent statements”.

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

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

It said the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted Morgan, who presented a guilty plea on September 23.

“Violating US immigration law is a very serious offense, and US Customs and Border Protection hopes this conviction sends a strong message to deter others wishing to violate our nation’s immigration laws,” said Susan Stranieri, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia.

“This case also illustrates the tremendous collaboration between our respective law enforcement agencies to end this impostor’s charade,” she added.

John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia, said “this criminal’s sentence is a lesson to anyone who tries to unlawfully enter our country.

“We will continue to work with CBP and other partners to safeguard our nation’s access,” he said.

CBP said Morgan arrived to PHL on the evening of June 5 from Montego Bay, Jamaica and presented a US passport in the name of a US citizen from Florida to a CBP officer.

CBP said the 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 US visitor’s Visa in 2007.

“Morgan will be returned to Jamaica upon adjudication of his charges,” CBP said.