Reno Man Indicted And Arrested For Passport Fraud

RENO, Nev. — A Reno resident made his initial appearance in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William G. Cobb on a charge for using a U.S. passport that was obtained by making a false statement, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. Perlman of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), San Francisco Field Office.

On Thursday, August 20, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Ludy Will Dial Jr, aka “Russel Van Wyck” and “Russell Van Wyck,” 69, with one count of use of passport secured through a false statement. He was arrested yesterday. A jury trial has been scheduled before U.S. District Judge Howard D. McKibben on October 19, 2020.

According to the indictment, on or about July 8, 2015, Dial Jr. used a U.S. passport that was issued due to a false statement made in the application. Specifically, the application stated that the person in the passport photo was named Russel Van Wyck, when in fact the person was Dial Jr. In addition, Dial Jr. used that passport to obtain a Nevada Driver’s License.

Dial Jr. faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is the product of an investigation by DSS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Walkingshaw is prosecuting the case.

If you are aware of fraud associated with a U.S. passport, please email PassportVisaFraud@state.gov or contact your nearest DSS field office.

###