Chintamkumar Patel, 23, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Friday after being charged in a complaint with using a false document to defraud the United States, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
Patel was released pending further proceedings after a detention and preliminary hearings on Monday.
According to the complaint, Patel appeared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection primary inspection checkpoint at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas on May 19 and presented a false New York driver’s license.
Patel had been a ticketed passenger on an American Airlines flight to the mainland United States.
Under federal law, if convicted of using a false document to defraud the United States, Patel faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
This case is being investigated by CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Everard Potter.
