STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Ebony Danielle Phillips, 38, of the United Kingdom, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal reentry after deportation following conviction of an aggravated felony. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash, who is handling the case, stated that on July 3, 2019, at approximately 3:20 p.m., the defendant attempted to enter the United States at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry. Phillips was driving a vehicle bearing an Ontario registration but she presented a State of North Carolina driver’s license, and stated that she was a citizen of the United States. The defendant was referred for secondary inspection. A subsequent records check determined that her birth place was the United Kingdom.
When asked if she had ever been arrested, Phillips replied “no.” A fingerprint check determined that she was convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud in the State of North Carolina in March 2017 and sentenced to nine months in prison. Upon her release from Bureau of Prisons custody, the defendant was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in January 2018, deported in August 2018, and permanently barred form re-entering the United States.
The defendant made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and detained.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations, Rose Brophy.
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