LaTanya Notice, Making False Statements, New York 2013

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A Jamaican national has pleaded guilty to making false statements to a federal officer, according to acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.

LaTanya Notice, 42, of Mt. Vernon, NY, pleaded guilty on an unspecified date to making a false statement to a federal officer, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charge stems from an incident on January 23, 2013, when Notice attempted to cross into the United States from Canada at the Peace Bridge with a man in possession of a valid United States Passport. Notice claimed that her traveling companion was her brother and they were returning to their home in New York City.

However, standard database checks revealed that the man was in fact Horace Tajah, an aggravated felon from Jamaica. Tajah was convicted in the Southern District of New York of multiple offenses including drug, gun, and conspiracy to commit murder charges in 2010. He was sentenced to 72 months in prison and after serving his sentence, he was deported to Jamaica in 2012 and banned from the United States for life.

Notice admitted to agents that Tajah was not her brother, but her husband, that he did not own the United States Passport he presented to officials, and that she was aware that he was deported to Jamaica in 2012 and barred from entering the United States for life.

The plea is the result of an investigation by United States Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 27, 2017, at 9:30 am before Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Notice’s real full name is LaTanya Notice, and she is a Jamaican citizen with legal permanent resident status in the United States. The exact criminal charges against her are making a false statement to a federal officer.

The city and state where the crime took place are Buffalo, New York. The exact date of the crime is January 23, 2013.

The sentence or outcome for Notice is currently pending, with sentencing scheduled for July 27, 2017. The maximum penalty for the crime is 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.