STAFF REPORTS
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BUFFALO — Abdoulaye Barry, 25, a Guinean national living in of Jamaica, NY, pleaded guilty to possessing a fraudulent passport card and aggravated identity theft before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison, a maximum of 10 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie O. Lamarque, who is handling the case, stated that on Feb. 26, the defendant was found at the Rainbow Bridge with a fraudulent United States Passport card, bearing the name and passport card number of a real person with the defendant’s photograph. Barry also had a fraudulent Ohio driver’s license bearing the name of a real person with the defendant’s photograph, and a Florida driver’s license bearing the name and photograph of another person. The defendant was also in possession of a debit and credit card matching the name on the fraudulent Ohio driver’s license.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the United States Department of State, under the direction of William Ferrari; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Brophy, Director of Field Operations; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James C. Spero.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 3.
