Jamaican National Indicted For Passport Fraud

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a federal grand jury in Harrisburg has indicted Melton Minto of making a false statement in a passport application, falsely claiming United States citizenship, and aggravated identity theft.    

According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Minto, a 46 year old Jamaican national, presented a fraudulent driver’s license and birth certificate in applying for a U.S. Passport in Harrisburg in 2011. 

The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Ford.   

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty for these offenses under federal law is 45 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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