Rancho Cordova Man Indicted For Passport And Immigration Fraud

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Satnam Singh, 54, of Rancho Cordova, charging him with passport fraud, unlawful procurement of naturalization and citizenship, making a false statement under oath in a matter relating to naturalization and citizenship, and use of a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Satnam Singh immigrated to the United States from India in the 1980s and naturalized as a United States citizen in 1996. However, in 1993, Satnam Singh filed an application for asylum under a fake identity “Rupinder Singh,” and also was naturalized under that second, false identity in 2012. Also in 2012, Satnam Singh successfully filed an application for a U.S. Passport in the false name “Rupinder Singh,” using the naturalization certificate issued to Rupinder Singh as proof of U.S. citizenship; He traveled internationally using the Rupinder Singh passport at least twice in 2013.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nirav Desai is prosecuting the case.

Singh was released on a $150,000 bond and will be arraigned on the indictment on December 10, 2014.

If convicted, Singh faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.