Man Traveling from the Dominican Republic Indicted after Presenting False Passport At Boston Logan Airport

BOSTON – A man traveling from the Dominican Republic under an assumed identity was indicted by a federal grand jury today in Boston for attempting to enter the United States using a false U.S. passport.

The defendant, whose identity has not yet been confirmed and who was charged as John Doe, was indicted on one count of misuse of a passport and one count of aggravated identity theft. The defendant was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in March 2020, and has been detained since that time.

As alleged in the charging documents, the defendant arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on a commercial flight from the Dominican Republic on March 4, 2020. While attempting to pass inspection by Customs and Border Protection, he provided officers a U.S. passport bearing his image, but the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a different person.

An investigation revealed that the defendant allegedly applied for the passport in November 2019 in Brighton. In the application, he fraudulently listed the personal identifying information of a United States citizen from Puerto Rico. He also attached a copy of the citizen’s birth certificate in support of the application.

The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of misuse 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 other statutory factors.

United States attorney Andrew E. Lelling and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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