NEWARK, NJ – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that a Nigerian national was arrested on June 4, 2021, at the Cyril E. King Airport on criminal charges related to her alleged misrepresentation that she was a United States citizen.
According to court documents, Ifeoma Inneh, 40, appeared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection checkpoint at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on June 4, 2021. She was a ticketed passenger on a flight traveling to Newark, New Jersey. In primary and secondary inspection, Inneh told CBP officers that she was a citizen of the United States. The CBP officers determined that Inneh was not a citizen of the United States.
Inneh is charged with knowingly making a false claim to United States citizenship in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 911, and making material false statements to CBP Officers in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). If convicted, Inneh faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations and CBP are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper is prosecuting the case.