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Date: 05-18-2023
Case Style:
Case Number: 2:22-cr-00317
Judge: R. Barclay Surrick
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with making false statements in a passport application and three counts of using a passport secured by false statements.
Samirah Boksmati, age 34, made multiple false representations to the U.S. State Department to secure United States passports for herself and her children and then used those passports obtained by fraud to travel abroad with two of her minor children. Boksmati acted with the intent to take all three of her children out of the United States, despite a family court order prohibiting her from taking her eldest child out of the country.
“Border and identification security are critically important to national security,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Obtaining a United States passport by fraud will not be tolerated, especially when that fraud is perpetrated in order to take a child out of the country in violation of a family court order. This sentence demonstrates that there are consequences to abusing the passport application process.”
“One of the core missions of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is to protect the integrity of U.S. travel documents, which includes preventing the fraudulent acquisition and use of U.S. passports to facilitate parental child abductions,” Resident Agent in Charge R. Mike Escott of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service Philadelphia Resident Office. “DSS is grateful for today’s outcome and for the close partnership and support of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.
18:1542 - FALSE STATEMENT IN A PASSPORT APPLICATION
(1-4)
Whoever willfully and knowingly makes any false statement in an application for passport with intent to induce or secure the issuance of a passport under the authority of the United States, either for his own use or the use of another, contrary to the laws regulating the issuance of passports or the rules prescribed pursuant to such laws; or
Whoever willfully and knowingly uses or attempts to use, or furnishes to another for use any passport the issue of which was secured in any way by reason of any false statement—
Shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 25 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate an act of international terrorism (as defined in section 2331 of this title)), 20 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate a drug trafficking crime (as defined in section 929(a) of this title)), 10 years (in the case of the first or second such offense, if the offense was not committed to facilitate such an act of international terrorism or a drug trafficking crime), or 15 years (in the case of any other offense), or both.
Outcome: IMPRISONMENT: 3 MONTHS; SUPERVISED RELEASE: 3 YEARS; SPECIAL ASSESSMENT: $700.00
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: