Two men pleaded guilty this month in separate cases in District Court on St. Croix, one involving obtaining a false identification, and one involving illegal entry into the United States, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced in a news release issued Wednesday.
Zakee Abdur Rasheed
Zakee Abdur Rasheed, age 47, pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to possession of identification document with intent to defraud.
According to a plea agreement filed with the court, on or about 2012 Rasheed arranged to, and did, obtain a Virgin Islands driver’s license in the name of, and date of birth for, “M. H.” The license bore the photograph of Rasheed’s wife, Ameena Ali. Rasheed intended that the false driver’s license would be used in an application for a United States passport by Ameena Ali in the name M. H., Shappert said.
Rasheed faces a period of incarceration of up to one year and a fine of up to $100,000. No sentencing date has been set as yet.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State – Diplomatic Security Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso Andrews Jr.
Manuel Alberto Fuentes-Acosta
Manuel Alberto Fuentes-Acosta, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty Feb. 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Cannon Jr. to reentry of a removed alien, Shappert said.
According to court documents, the defendant, a Mexican citizen, presented himself to Customs and Border Protection primary inspection Nov. 9 at St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, while attempting to board an American Airlines flight. The defendant told the CBP officer that he was illegally in the United States, and he was referred to secondary inspection where he repeated that he was in the United States illegally and did not have the requisite visa.
The defendant was arrested. He informed agents from Homeland Security Investigations that he entered the United States in 1996 illegally and was deported in 2017 from Laredo, Texas. The defendant also stated that he had remained in Mexico and later returned to the United States without inspection. He also told HSI agents that he paid a smuggler $2,000 to $3,000 to return to the United States by crossing the river from Mexico to Del Rio, Texas in April 2018.
The investigation revealed the defendant was deported on June 1, 2017 from Laredo to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, via foot and the defendant did not obtain consent to re-enter the United States.
Fuentes-Acosta faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has been set for June 5.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
