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  4. Buffalo CBP Officers Arrests United States Citizen for False Statements/Misuse of Passport

Buffalo CBP Officers Arrests United States Citizen for False Statements/Misuse of Passport

Release Date
Thu, 07/15/2010

Buffalo, N.Y.- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations announced the arrest of a United States citizen on charges of false claim to citizenship, misuse of a passport and false statements.

On July 9, CBP officers encountered a 29-year-old male as he applied for admission at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The subject presented a valid U.S. passport as proof of citizenship and advised the CBP officer that he was returning to his home Buffalo after spending the day in Toronto. Initial examination of the presented document revealed what appeared to be inconsistencies on the biographic page. The subject was referred to CBP secondary enforcement for verification of his immigration status.

Upon further inspection of his presented document, CBP officers noticed that the photograph contained on the biographic page of the passport did not bear an exact resemblance to the individual claiming ownership. When questioned as to his place of birth, his parents' place of birth, and his parents' names, the subject was unable to provide answers matching the information retrieved from the passport application.

A personal search was conducted which resulted in CBP officers discovering the subject was wearing an ankle bracelet monitoring device. When questioned regarding the ankle bracelet, he stated his friend was a probation officer and it was given to him by his friend to wear in support of Lindsay Lohan.

A query of the subject's fingerprints resulted in the discovery of a record indicating the prints were not those of the subject listed in the presented passport, but rather belonged to Eugene Todie, 29-year- old United States citizen from Buffalo. When confronted with the evidence discovered by CBP, Todie admitted he was not the lawful owner of the presented document and it belonged to a friend. Record checks revealed Todie is currently on probation in Erie County and as such, is not authorized to leave the country.

On July 13, a criminal complaint was filed against Todie and he was arraigned before the U.S. Magistrate Judge on federal charges of false statements and misuse of a passport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021