Illegal Alien Charged with False Use of a Passport

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Marlborough, Mass., has been charged with allegedly using a fake passport to open and access business bank accounts.

Jose De Freitas Junior, 30, was charged with one count of false use of a passport. He is currently in ICE custody and is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, De Freitas, under a false name, presented a fraudulent Brazilian passport to a bank teller at a bank in Andover, Mass., to access a business account at that bank. The fraudulent passport included a photograph of De Freitas, the false name and a passport number that belonged to a different Brazilian citizen. De Freitas also allegedly presented the fraudulent passport to local law enforcement upon their arrival at the bank. De Freitas was immediately taken into custody.

It is further alleged that a subsequent biometric check of De Freitas’ fingerprints taken at booking confirmed that he was a citizen of Brazil who has not been lawfully admitted to the United States. Further investigation allegedly revealed that De Freitas had opened multiple business accounts using several different fraudulent Brazilian passports as identification. The accounts were listed as auto sales-related businesses and were used to accept numerous large wire transfers, some of which were later recalled for fraud by the sending bank.

The charge of false use of a passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Andover Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.