Jamaican National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that DWAYNE CLAUD SINGH, 37, a citizen of Jamaica residing in New Haven, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

Singh was arrested today.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained pending a hearing that is scheduled for July 28.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2014, Singh was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court of drug, weapon, and forgery offenses and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.  In December 2017, the U.S. Immigration Court in Hartford ordered Singh removed to Jamaica for violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act.  He was deported to Jamaica in January 2018.

It is further alleged that Singh illegally reentered the U.S. and has been using Connecticut and California identifying documents in the name of “Kevin Anthony Smith,” and a Facebook profile in the name of “Poochie Gully.”  Singh also has an active state arrest warrant for breach of peace and threatening offenses, which was issued by the Connecticut Superior Court in March 2023.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Singh faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).