Undocumented Jamaican Citizen Sentenced To Federal Prison For Identity Theft

Jacksonville, Florida - U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Alandrae David Brown (30, Jamaica) to seven months in federal prison for identity theft. Brown entered a guilty plea on August 27, 2024.

According to court documents, in September 2017, Brown obtained a Florida driver license in the name of another person. When he applied for the license, Brown represented that he was a United States citizen and that he was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In support of the application, he provided a purported U.S. Virgin Islands birth certificate and a valid Social Security number.

In April 2024, Brown was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, at which time he identified himself as, and presented the driver license in the name of, the other person. Suspecting that Brown was not who he said he was, immigration authorities interviewed him about his identity and citizenship, but he insisted that he was in fact the person in whose name he had obtained the license. Federal agents obtained passport records and U.S. Virgin Islands driver license records for the person whose identity Brown had adopted and the photographs in the records were not of Brown. Virgin Islands authorities confirmed that the birth certificate Brown used to obtain the license was a forgery.

After conducting this investigation, agents interviewed Brown and confronted him with the evidence they had collected, but he insisted that he really was the person whose identity he had stolen. After being charged, Brown admitted that his name was Alandrae David Brown, that he was from Jamaica, and that he was illegally present in the United States. Agents confirmed his identity with the Jamaican government.

"This recidivist criminal's pattern of disregard for the law and identity theft is a betrayal of conscience and a direct assault on the victim's life," said Tim Hemker, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville assistant special agent in charge. "Identity theft is never a victimless crime as it devastates people emotionally and financially. HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners, are dedicated to uncovering the truth, no matter how criminals try to conceal it."

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.