Charlotte Man Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Creating And Using Fake U.S. Passport Cards

Press Release

At the Time of the Offense, the Defendant Was on State Probation for Identity Theft Conviction

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - On Monday, Calvin Williams, 31, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. for creating counterfeit U.S. passport cards and using them to obtain multiple lines of credit, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, Robert Little, Resident Agent in Charge, Greensboro Resident Office, U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to court documents and court proceedings, in from late 2019 until May 2022, Williams forged U.S. passport cards using the personal identifying information (PII) of victims of identity theft. A U.S. passport card is a wallet sized passport that is issued by the U.S. Department of State, serves as proof of U.S. citizenship and identity, and allows for travel to and from certain countries. Court documents show that Williams created the fraudulent passport cards in the names of identity theft victims, substituting the photographs of the victims with his own photograph. Then Williams used the fake passport cards to open multiple lines of credit with various retail and online stores in order to purchase new iPhones and other electronic items. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized over 30 forged passport cards from Williams. Williams continued the fake passport card scheme after he was placed on state probation for convictions involving identity theft and obtaining property by false pretenses.

On April 19, 2023, Williams pleaded guilty to passport forgery. He is currently in custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, and CMPD for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller, of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.

If you are aware of, or have been a victim of, fraud associated with a U.S. passport or U.S. visa application, please contact [email protected]

Updated May 2, 2024