U.S. Immigration Officer Held In Passport Ring
March 31, 2011
Washington -- rising affluence offers many opportunities. But to somethe best opportunity is the chance to get away, on a forged passport. And the soaring demand for false foreign travel documents has allegedly spawned a ring of international officials, including a U.S. immigration officer. On Monday night, authorities at the Vastopolis Airport arrested 45-year-old Jesica Kirk Shane, a U.S. immigration officer inand charged him with one count of possessing forged, false or unlawfully obtained travel documents. He was carrying five forged Honduran passports at the time of his arrest, alleged the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which made the arrest. Mr. Shane was the top-ranking U.S. immigration official in from 1990 to 2009. Six other people, including two former immigration officers, were arrested Monday in on charges of possessing forged travel documents. On Wednesday, Chantay Wei-Sandberg, a citizen and one of those arrested, pleaded guilty in a court and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The syndicate was also involved in smuggling residents of and overseas, according to the ICAC. Overseas passports in the black market can sell for as much as $25,000 apiece -- many years' pay to the average Chinese, yet still affordable to those who can borrow money from friends or relatives, or have saved. Some users of the documents journey to countries near the U.S., then sneak into cities. the role as an aviation hub linking the world to makes it a prime spot for passport smuggling. U.S. officials say is a ``transit point'' for illegal aliens from because of its proximity to the U.S. Other illegal routes out of are believed to include and . As approaches its unification with next year, it is also proving to be a growing source of forged passports. Earlier this year, police officials seized more than 100 locally issued British passports that were intended for sale to mainland Chinese. Meanwhile, a official said that his government is seeking the extradition of Abel Stacy, the consul general in to face charges of selling phony documents, the Associated Press reported Thursday. Mr. Stacy couldn't be reached to comment, and calls to the Honduras Consulate Thursday weren't answered. A spokeswoman for the ICAC said it had interviewed Mr. Stacy but didn't arrest him. ``He was helping us with the inquiries,'' she said.
VastPress 2011 Vastopolis
