Indian held in US for possessing ‘forged alien resident card’

NEW YORK: US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced that an Indian national, Swapnil Ramesh Tejale (34), was arrested and charged with possession of a ‘forged alien resident card’. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of USD 2,50,000, according to a statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York.

Assistant US Attorney Michael J Smith, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on July 10, 2025, the Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station received a request from the Niagara Falls Police Department to help identify three individuals that they had encountered during a traffic stop, the statement said on July 21.

Agents arrived at the scene and questioned the three individuals as to their citizenship. Tejale presented a Lawful Permanent Resident Card but voluntarily admitted that the card was fictitious. It was determined that Tejale was illegally present in the United States without any immigration documents that would allow him to remain in the country lawfully. After Tejale was taken into custody, agents located a Social Security Card in his name. Record checks verified that the Social Security Card was also fictitious.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organisations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The complaint was filed as a result of an investigation by the US Border Patrol Niagara Falls Station, under the supervision of Patrol Agent in Charge Brady Waikal, as per the statement.

In a related case, an Indian national residing in Santa Rosa, California, was sentenced on March 5 to six months in prison by a US District Court in Seattle. He was convicted of Conspiracy to Bring in and Transport Certain Aliens for Profit following an investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Border Patrol, according to a separate statement issued by ICE. (ANI)