Citizen of Dominican Republic is sentenced to 14 months in prison for falsely applying for US passport

NEW HAVEN, Conn - A man from the Dominican Republic who lived in New Britain, Conn., was sentenced on Thursday to 14 months in prison for making a false application for a U.S. passport. This sentence was announced by David B. Fein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Luis Ramon Francisco, 40, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, last residing on

Allen Street

in New Britain, Conn., was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to about 14 months of imprisonment, or time served. Francisco pleaded guilty to the offense on Aug. 30.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on Aug. 27, 1999, Francisco, who at the time was a U.S. permanent resident, used the identity of another individual when he applied for a U.S. passport at a U.S. Post Office in Hartford, Conn.

Francisco has been detained since his arrest in August 2009. He has since been transferred into the custody of the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) for removal proceedings.

In addition to ICE HSI, this case was also investigated by the following agencies: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security; and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson, District of Connecticut, prosecuted this case.