Ameena Ali, 39 of Trinidad and residing in St. Croix, was arrested after a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against her on March 17, charging her with making a false statement in an application for a passport and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced Thursday.
On March 18, Ali made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cannon in district court. She was released pending trial.
If convicted of making a false statement, Ali faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. If convicted of aggravated identity theft, she faces a mandatory two years behind bars. Both convictions each carry a $250,000 fine.
The two-count indictment is the result of months of investigative work by the United States Department of State Diplomatic Security Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy.
An indictment is a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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