A federal jury in St. Thomas has convicted a British Virgin Islands man of possessing a counterfeit permanent resident card, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.
United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced that on February 25, 2026, a jury found Nigel Cooper, 52, of the British Virgin Islands, guilty of possession of a counterfeit alien registration card, commonly known as a “permanent resident card.” District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney presided over the trial.
Evidence presented during the proceedings showed that on October 30, 2025, Cooper appeared for inspection at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Cruz Bay, St. John. A CBP officer testified that Cooper presented a valid BVI passport for entry into the United States. During further inspection, officers discovered a permanent resident card in his wallet.
At trial, the government presented evidence that the card bore Cooper’s name and photograph, but the identifying number on the card was registered to a female Chinese national. Records checks revealed no record that Cooper had ever applied for or been issued a permanent resident card in the United States. An expert witness in forensic document analysis testified that the card was counterfeit.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, CBP officers learned during an interview with Cooper that he had purchased the permanent resident card from a Missouri store during the summer of 2025.
The conviction carries a maximum possible sentence of up to ten years in prison. The District Court will schedule a sentencing hearing to determine Cooper’s sentence.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Denise N. George of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands is prosecuting the matter.
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