Ifeoma Inneh, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, was arrested Friday, June 4, at the Cyril E. King Airport on criminal charges related to her alleged misrepresentation that she was a United States citizen, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert reported.
According to court documents, Inneh appeared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection checkpoint at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. 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 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.
If convicted, Inneh faces a maximum penalty of eight 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.
