By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TWO Bahamians were indicted in separate US federal districts last week on charges linked to passport fraud and false claims of American citizenship, according to statements from prosecutors in Pennsylvania and Florida.

In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a federal grand jury indicted 79-year-old Victor Charles Gibson on November 18 for passport fraud and making a false claim to United States citizenship. Prosecutors allege that on or about March 29, in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Gibson knowingly made a false statement in a US passport application and represented himself as a US citizen.

The US Department of State investigated the matter, and Assistant US Attorney Tatum Wilson is prosecuting the case.

The charges fall under Operation Take Back America, a US Department of Justice initiative that focuses on immigration-related offences and transnational criminal activity.

If convicted, Gibson faces a maximum penalty of thirteen years in federal prison.

In a separate case in the Middle District of Florida, 65-year-old Bahamian national Rochelle Deborah Johnson was indicted on charges of illegal voting, passport fraud, and falsely claiming US citizenship to obtain state benefits.

Prosecutors allege Johnson used a fraudulently obtained passport to take an international flight in 2016 and attempted to renew it in 2018 by falsely claiming to be a US citizen. She is also accused of unlawfully voting in the 2020 presidential election and falsely claiming citizenship to renew and replace her Florida driver’s licence.

She faces up to 35 years in federal prison if convicted.

The US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Special Assistant US Attorney Joseph Wheeler III.

This case also forms part of Operation Take Back America.