Nigerian Citizen Fined $1,500 for Making False Representations to Government Agents at the Cyril E. King Airport

St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that on September 8, 2023, Ifeoma Inneh, a 42-year-old citizen of Nigeria, was sentenced by District Court Chief Judge Robert A. Malloy to pay a $1,500 fine for making false representations to Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officers at the Cyril E. King Airport.

According to court documents, on June 4, 2021, Inneh was a ticketed passenger on a United Airlines Flight departing from St. Thomas to Newark, NJ. During CBP inspection, Inneh presented a Pennsylvania driver’s license and stated that she is a citizen of the United States. Inneh further stated that she entered the United States on a student visa and had subsequently become a lawful permanent resident and naturalized United States citizen. CBP officers then conducted a record check and determined that Inneh was neither a lawful permanent resident nor a citizen of the United States, and that her presence in the United States was unlawful.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and CBP. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natasha Baker.