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Press Release

Southern Colorado Man Sentenced For False Statement in the Application and Use of Passports

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado
Defendant lied on a form to obtain a passport he was prohibited from obtaining

DENVER – A Southern Colorado man, Ronald Ray Horner, age 58, of Huerfano County, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer to serve 27 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years on supervised release for making false statements in the application and use of passports, U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, and Angela Brenner, Resident Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Denver Resident Office (DSS) announced.  Horner, who appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, was remanded at its conclusion.

On March 15, 2017, Horner was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver.  On June 18, 2018, Horner was found guilty following a one-day trial.  The jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before reaching their verdict. 

During the summer of 2016, Horner was indicted in the District of Montana for the offense of Transportation of Child Pornography.  As a result of that offense, the defendant appeared in court, and was released on bond, subject to various conditions.  Two of those conditions were that he was required to surrender his passport and was ordered not to obtain another one. 

On August 9, 2016, the defendant went to the United States Post Office in Walsenburg, Colorado and submitted an application for a passport.  He claimed that he had lost his passport, explaining, “Passport was left in suitcase after vacation (Jan 2016).  Suitcase had torn seam and was discarded.  I forgot the passport was in the suitcase.”  The defendant further explained that he threw the suitcase in a dumpster outside the Mini Mart in Walsenburg, Colorado in January 2016.  He submitted these forms, along with the requisite forms of identification, as his application for a new passport. 

Shortly thereafter, the defendant received a new passport in the mail.  He left Colorado, traveled to Mexico on September 3, 2016, and then made his way through multiple countries in South America, including Brazil, Uruguay, and Guyana.  He ultimately ended up in Trinidad and Tobago after being deported from Guyana.  A DSS Special Agent spoke with Horner in Trinidad and Tobago, confiscated the passport, and arranged for the defendant’s transportation back to the United States.  Following the defendant’s return to the United States, he was convicted of Transportation of Child Pornography in Montana and sentenced to 154 months.  Judge Brimmer ordered the 27-month sentence in this case to be served consecutively to that sentence.

“This case demonstrates why keeping our passport system secure is so important,” said U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer.  “By lying to get a new passport, a person charged with child porn crimes was able to travel to 5 other countries while he was under indictment.  We can’t and won’t allow that.”

“The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to making sure that those who commit passport and visa fraud face consequences for their criminal actions,” said Resident Agent in Charge Angela Brenner of the Diplomatic Security Service.  “The strong relationship we enjoy with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world is vital towards ensuring the integrity of U.S. travel documents and protecting greater U.S. interests.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.  The defendant was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel McIntyre and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Brown and Rebecca Weber.

Contact

Jeff Dorschner
Spokesperson, Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado
303-454-0243 direct; 303-454-0400 fax

Updated August 31, 2018

Press Release Number: CASE NUMBER: 17-cr-00077