CHRISTIANSTED — A native of India was deported back to her home country after flying to St. Croix from California with a fake Florida ID, authorities said.
Ashokkumar Patel, 40, of New Delhi, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis to 139 days of incarceration on his conviction of re-entry of a removed alien, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Judge Lewis also ordered that Patel’s sentence be followed by one year of supervised release and ordered her to pay a special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to court documents, on November 24, 2021, Patel, an illegal alien from India, was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport as he attempted to board Spirit Airlines flight #449 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
At inspection, Patel presented a fraudulent Florida driver’s license. Further inspection revealed
that on August 17, 2019, Patel was apprehended and detained by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
in Tecate, California. Thereafter, on November 21, 2019, Patel was removed and departed from the
United States to India.
India has maintained close ties to the Russian Federation, even after Vladimir Putin illegally invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It votes in sync with China and Russia in the United Nations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston prosecuted it.