SAN FRANCISCO—The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday, April 14, that Shakisha Haskins was sentenced to prison for using a passport that federal prosecutors say she knew was obtained fraudulently along with using “other false information to gain access to a repatriation flight from India.”
“Shakisha Haskins was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison for using a passport secured by a false statement,” said the Justice Department in a press release.
According to the Justice Department, Haskins pled guilty to illegally obtaining a passport “by submitting fraudulent documents or information, including the victim’s social security number, birth certificate, and driver’s license.”
Haskins admitted to superimposing a picture of herself on top of a picture of the victim on the passport application, federal prosecutors said. “Once in possession of the fraudulently obtained passport, Haskins began to use it,” the Justice Department noted.
The authorities said that the date stamps on the passport indicated that Haskins “used the fraudulently obtained passport to travel 37 times between March 2017 and April 2020. Haskins used the passport while living abroad for three years.”
In the spring of 2020, federal prosecutors said that Haskins was in India with her son when the flights to and from America ceased due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“The end of commercial flights prompted American citizens to seek assistance from the United States Embassy when making plans to return to the United States,” said the Justice Department. Haskins requested the United States Consular Officers in New Delhi to allow her and her son to be able to fly back to America on April 4, 2020, the authorities noted.
“Haskins provided to the United States government the victim’s social security number, date of birth, and passport number so she could be added to the repatriation flight. Haskins also used the fraudulently obtained passport to enter the United States on April 5, 2020,” the authorities said.
The Justice Department explained that after Haskins did this, she was caught.
“In addition to the prison term, Judge Donato ordered Haskins to serve thirty-six months of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $7,932.89,” said the agency.
On April 6, 2020, the authorities noted that Haskins was charged with one count of a passport secured by a false statement, and on July 8, 2020, she was also charged with another count of using a passport secured by a false statement, and one count of making a false statement to a government agency. The news release said that Haskins pled guilty to all three counts.
Special Agent in Charge Matthew Perlman said in the press release, “The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is firmly committed to working with the U.S. Department of Justice and our local law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute all criminal activity related to passport fraud, identity theft, and theft of public money.”
