Dominican National Sentenced for Passport Fraud

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – George L. Wilson, 54, of Providence, was sentenced today to 8 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release for making false statements on a passport application and making false statements to a government agent. Wilson previously admitted to the court that he used the personal identifying information of a person living in the United States Virgin Islands to apply for a name change, and to obtain a U.S. passport and social security card.

The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for New England.

Wilson, a Dominican national, will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his prison term.

According to information presented to the court, an investigation by HSI and immigration agents determined that in 1989, George L. Wilson, purporting to be Alwyn E. Todman, petitioned the state of Connecticut and was granted a name change to George L. Wilson. He did so using Alwyn Todman’s person identifying information, including Todman’s date of birth and social security number. Todman was a resident of the United States Virgin Islands.

In May 2013, Wilson applied for and was granted a U.S. passport, having provided his name and Todman’s personal identifying information.

In December 2014, Alwyn E. Todman passed away in the United States Virgin Islands.

In April 2015, Wilson visited the Pawtucket Social Security Administration office to inquire about getting a “death notice” removed from the social security number he was using. Wilson, attempting to show that the “death notice” was in error, presented to a Social Security Administration manager a social security card with his name and Todman’s social security number, and his fraudulently obtained passport which contained his name and photograph, but which also contained some of Todman’s personal identifying information. The Social Security Administration manager took possession of the social security card.

As a result of further investigation by HSI agents, Wilson was arrested in August 2015. Wilson admitted that he was born in the Dominican Republic and he provided a date of birth different from the one he used to obtain a U.S. passport.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zechariah Chafee.

The matter was investigated with the assistance of the Office of Inspector General - Social Security Administration.

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