Man Awaits Sentencing in Passport Fraud Case

By Linda Ripoll
 

Identity theft is on the rise in the US and fraudulent passports are one of the fastest growing segments of the identity theft epidemic. In recent news, Joseph William Sullivan was arrested this past Tuesday in Hawaii at the U.S. Passport Office in the Prince Kuhio Federal Building. According to reports, Sullivan had defrauded three clients out of $1 million dollars and was trying to flee the island by applying for a US passport under a dead infant’s name. In a recent article on StarAdvertiser.com, Sullivan and the dead infant were born around the same time in Massachusetts:

“On April 12, Sullivan submitted a U.S. passport application allegedly using the identity of Allen at the main downtown post office. According to the criminal complaint, Sullivan provided a birth certificate and state identification card in Allen's name. Eight days later, an employee of the Honolulu Passport Agency reviewed Sullivan's application and discovered a few discrepancies.”

As soon as officials realized that the birth certificate and other supporting documents were for the deceased David Allen, they lured Sullivan back to the passport office in order to arrest him. According to federal laws, fraudulent passports carry a maximum of 10 years in prison.