ALBANY, NEW YORK – Paul J. Carter, also known as Paul Hamilton, and formerly known as Paul Cristallo, was sentenced today to time served (6 days in jail), and to pay a $5,000 fine, for making false statements in a 2018 U.S. visa application.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Carter, age 55, an Australian citizen residing in Watervliet, New York, admitted to lying about his criminal history when he sought to renew his E-2 visa in 2018. E-2 visas admit certain foreign nationals who have invested a substantial amount of money in a U.S. business. Carter obtained an E-2 visa, and began residing in the United States, in 2014. The U.S. government denied Carter’s visa renewal application in 2018, and Carter has been residing in the United States without status since May 2020.
This case was investigated by HSI, with assistance from the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.