South Carolina Couple Guilty in Passport Fraud Scheme

Gerald Vincent Locker Jr., 46, and Stephanie Jean Locker, 43, of Huger, South Carolina, admitted in federal court to orchestrating a brazen passport fraud scheme, exploiting false documents and a fabricated birth story to illegally secure U.S. citizenship for a child not their own. The couple pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brucie H. Hendricks in the District of South Carolina, facing federal charges that expose a calculated attempt to bypass international adoption laws.

Gerald Locker Jr. entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy, while Stephanie Locker pleaded guilty to both conspiracy and making false statements in a passport application. The scheme unfolded in 2014 while Gerald, a former U.S. Marine Corps member, was stationed in Japan with his spouse. Rather than pursue legal adoption, the couple falsely claimed a baby born in the Philippines was their biological child, submitting forged paperwork—including a falsified birth certificate—to a U.S. Consular Officer.

Stephanie Locker went so far as to swear under oath that she had become pregnant during a vacation in the Philippines, learning of the pregnancy just five days before the child’s birth. That lie formed the foundation of her application for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a critical step in obtaining a U.S. passport for the infant. Federal prosecutors say the entire narrative was fabricated to exploit loopholes in consular procedures.

When confronted with the requirement for DNA testing, the Lockers abruptly abandoned the child, leaving the infant in the care of a local family in the Philippines. The child was later placed with a foster family, severed from the couple’s fraudulent claim. Their flight from responsibility revealed the depth of their deception—and their disregard for the child’s welfare.

The case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS), highlighting the cross-agency scrutiny such frauds attract when they involve military personnel and consular abuse. Prosecution was handled by Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Secor of the District of South Carolina.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Peter M. McCoy of the District of South Carolina announced the guilty pleas, underscoring the federal government’s resolve in cracking down on identity and immigration fraud. Sentencing is pending, but the charges carry significant prison time, marking a grim end to a scheme built on lies and abandonment.

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