Brockton Man Convicted of Passport Fraud

Press Release

Defendant is wanted for murder and other crimes in Cabo Verde

BOSTON - A Brockton man was convicted today following a three-day trial for lying that his United States passport had been lost in order to secure a replacement to enter the country, when in fact, the passport had been confiscated by the prosecutor's office in Cabo Verde following his arrest for the murders of two victims.

Johnny Barros Brandao, 41, was convicted of one count of passport fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 9, 2025. Brandao was arrested on May 9, 2023.

According to court records, on March 27, 2014, in Cabo Verde, Brandao shot an individual in the head using a .45 caliber revolver, took one million and five hundred thousand Cape Verdean Escudos from the victim and then dumped the victim's body on the side of a road next to a waste dump. On July 26, 2021, Brandao shot and killed another individual using a 9mm caliber firearm and threw the victim's body off a bank at the same place as the 2014 victim.

Brandao was arrested in Cabo Verde on these charges. On Dec. 12, 2022, after a period of pretrial detention, Brandao was released subject to supervision. The Cabo Verde court also ordered that Brandao not depart Cabo Verde - confiscating his Cabo Verdean national ID card as well as his United States and Cabo Verde passports.

On Dec. 28, 2022, Brandao applied for a replacement United States passport at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. In the section of the form that directs the applicant to explain how his prior passport was lost or stolen, Brandao reported he had lost his passport in Dakar, Senegal while out to dinner on Dec. 25, 2022.

"Johnny Barros Brandao was accused of two homicides in Cape Verde. Rather than facing those charges, he chose to lie to U.S. authorities in order to replace his confiscated passport and flee to America to evade justice," said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. "I am grateful for the diligent work of my office and our law enforcement counterparts, without their commitment, a suspected murderer would be walking our streets and avoiding prosecution for his crimes."

"The Diplomatic Security Service is firmly committed to working with the U.S. Department of Justice and our other law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of crime related to passport and visa fraud. And DSS' global network of special agents working together to interdict visa and passport crimes is vital to bringing those who commit these crimes to justice," said Special Agent in Charge Matthew O'Brien of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Boston Field Office.

The charge of passport fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and U.S. DSS SAC O'Brien made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Services. Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Cleary, David Tobin and Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

Updated October 2, 2024