Man allegedly tried to fly to L.A. using fake papers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents arrested at the Saipan International Airport on Friday a Chinese national who allegedly tried to check-in for an outbound flight to Los Angeles, California, via Narita, Japan, using fake documents.

Dongjun Li, 38, was taken to the U.S. District Court for the NMI Friday afternoon to face a charge of committing immigration document fraud.

U.S. District Court for the NMI visiting judge William Q. Hayes appointed attorney Mark Scoggins to represent Li.

During his detention hearing yesterday, Li was found to be a flight risk. Hayes ordered his continued detention and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.

The judge, however, allowed Scoggins to file a motion for bail if the defense lawyer has additional information to support Li’s temporary release.

ICE special agent Paul C. Akeo Jr. stated in his report that on Friday, Li presented forged parole documents to airline personnel at the airport in order to gain entry into Los Angeles, California, aboard Delta Air Lines flights 287 and 284.

Akeo said that, on Friday at 3:50am, he received a telephone call from U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisory officer Mark Layman about an individual who presented a Form I-512 and other documents to Delta Air Lines personnel. Form I-512 is an authorization for parole of an alien into the United States.

The individual, who was later identified as Li, allegedly attempted to check-in for an outbound flight to Los Angeles via Narita.

Akeo said that when he and another special agent arrived at the airport at 4:15am that same day, Layman gave him the original documents that Li had presented to Delta personnel.

Akeo said the documents included a U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service form I-512; an original correspondence dated July 11, 2011, from the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Neutralization [sic] Service; white and blue copies of a CNMI application for marriage license and record; and Dongjun Li’s original PRC passport number.

Akeo quoted Layman as saying that Delta personnel contacted Customs and Border Protection after Li handed over the suspect documents in an attempt to check-in.

Akeo said he and the other special agent reviewed Li’s papers and determined that the Form I-512 and accompanying documents were fraudulent.

Akeo noted that the form, among other things, appeared to bear mismatched fonts and signs of alterations by means of erasure and photocopying.

The agents then arrested Li.

Assistant U.S. attorney Beverly McCallum cited a U.S. Probation Office’s pre-trial report indicating that Li had claimed to be married to a local woman, yet he could not remember her last name.

McCallum said the defendant, who could not speak English, also possessed a CNMI driver’s license that he possibly obtained through fraudulent means.

Scoggins told the court that Li has a valid umbrella permit and promised to appear at all court hearings.