STAFF REPORTS
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Roger Garfield Campbell, of Kingston, Jamaica, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with visa fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in October 2015, Campbell applied for a visa to enter the United States as a non-immigrant visitor. The defendant submitted the application to the United States Department of State under the penalty of perjury, and was subsequently interviewed by members of the United States Consulate in Kingston as part of the application process. The complaint states that Campbell provided false information to the Department of State concerning his criminal history in order to obtain the visa. Based on his false representations, the defendant was granted a non-immigrant visa, and entered the United States via the Atlanta Georgia Port of Entry in 2016.
In 2018, members of the Department of Homeland Security received information that Campbell had falsified his visa application and remained in the United States illegally in Rochester, NY. Subsequent investigation conducted by DHS and the Department of State, with cooperation from authorities in the United Kingdom, revealed that the defendant had been convicted of multiple drug trafficking charges in 2002 and 2007 in the United Kingdom, for which he served significant prison sentences. The convictions would have precluded Campbell from receiving a visa to enter the United States.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and remains in custody without bail.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the U.S. Department of State, under the direction of Resident Agent-in-Charge Kenneth Haynes.
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.
