St. Kitts Man Arrested, Charged With Illegally Re-Entering The United States

CONTACT:  Barbara Burns
PHONE:      (716) 843-5817
FAX #:         (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Andrew Adolphus Hodge, 68, of St. Kitts, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with making a false official statement and unlawful re-entry into the United States following a conviction for an aggravated felony. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Cantil, who is handling the case, stated that according to the criminal complaint, on May 29, 2018, at approximately 9:00 p.m., at the Peace Bridge port of entry, a Customs and Border Protection officer conducted a primary inspection of the defendant, who was a passenger on a commercial Greyhound Bus. Hodge presented a United Kingdom Passport and stated that he traveling to Brooklyn, New York to visit family. A primary name query resulted in a positive response indicating that he had been previously deported from the United States as an aggravated felon.

The defendant indicated to the officer that he had never lived in the United States and had never been arrested. Hodge was referred to secondary for further inspection. Subsequent investigation determined that the defendant had been ordered removed by an Immigration Judge on April 28, 2015, after being convicted of Grand Theft in Los Angeles, California in October 1993, and Forgery over $60,000, in Shelby County, Tennessee in October 2009. Hodge was removed from the United States and deported to Saint Kitts in April 2016.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held pending a detention hearing on June 8, 2018.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.