Two citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo were arrested at the Lewiston Queenston Bridge on May 20, 2019, after attempting to smuggle one into the U.S. using a stolen green card. Serge Maombi, a/k/a Patrick Mwiseneza, was charged with attempting to use an unlawfully obtained alien registration card and making a false statement to a Customs and Border Protection officer—a crime carrying up to 10 years in prison.
Jean Pierre Imani, also from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was charged with smuggling and making a false statement to federal officers, facing a maximum penalty of five years behind bars. The arrests unfolded at approximately 3:45 p.m. during a routine inspection at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry in Buffalo, New York.
During primary inspection, Imani, the driver, and Maombi, seated in the back, presented a U.S. Permanent Resident Alien Card under the name Patrick Sirikare. CBP officers immediately noticed facial discrepancies between Maombi and the photo on the card, prompting a referral to secondary inspection.
Under further scrutiny, Maombi claimed he was Patrick Sirikare. A fingerprint scan quickly disproved the claim, revealing a mismatch. Meanwhile, Imani initially told officers the trio had come from Michigan for sightseeing in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He later admitted the real Sirikare had traveled with them to pick up his older brother, Maombi, and bring him into the U.S. using Sirikare’s green card.
The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno. Both defendants appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 24, 2019.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy. As with all federal cases, the charges are accusations; the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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