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BUFFALO — LaTanya Notice, 42, of Mt. Vernon, pleaded guilty, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo, to the crime of making a false statement to a federal officer. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque, who is handling the case, stated that on January 23, 2013, the defendant, a Jamaican citizen with legal permanent resident status in the United States, attempted to cross into the United States from Canada at the Peace Bridge with a man in possession of a valid United States Passport. The defendant claimed that her traveling companion was her brother and they were returning to their home in New York City. Standard database checks revealed that the man was in fact Horace Tajah, an aggravated felon from Jamaica. In 2010, Tajah was convicted in the Southern District of New York of multiple offenses including drug, gun, and conspiracy to commit murder charges. Tajah was sentenced to 72 months in prison, and after serving his sentence, he was deported to Jamaica in 2012 and banned from the United States for life.
Ms. Notice admitted to agents that Tajah was not her brother, but her husband, that he did not own the United States Passport he presented to officials, and that she was aware that he was deported to Jamaica in 2012 and barred from entering the United States for life.
The plea is the result of an investigation by United States Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 27.
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