Fake lifeguard caught trying to get visa

A teenager who presented a fake lifeguard certificate at the United States Embassy as part of his application for the annual Summer Work and Travel Programme was fined $150,000 when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday.

Raheim Lewis, 18, pleaded guilty to forgery and uttering a forged document following an incident on May 10.

The court heard that Lewis attended the embassy's office with a lifeguard certificate in support of his J1 Exchange Programme Visa application. But when questioned by the authorities, Lewis presented conflicting stories about his qualifications. Investigators who inspected the document noticed that it was issued by a local youth organisation and bore the organisation's seal. Checks later revealed that it was forged and was not issued by the institution.

On May 13, Lewis returned to the US Embassy for a follow-up interview when he was informed of the criminal offences. The court heard that when Lewis was cautioned for one offence, he said: "A me father who live a US link a woman and the woman link a man a Spanish Town fi sort it out fi me. A bout 40 gran' dem pay for it."

Attorney Tanya Francis-Clayton submitted to Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque that her client was influenced by "youthful exuberance" to commit the offences and pleaded for leniency in sentencing.

"He is young and I don't think he was aware, I mean, he is sorry what had transpired," the lawyer explained.

But Cole-Montaque opined that at age 18, she believed that Lewis had sufficient knowledge to know that he was wrong and described his action as "brazen".

For the offence of forgery, Lewis was fined $50,000 or six months' imprisonment and on the count of uttering a forged document, he was ordered to pay a fine of $100,000 or nine months' imprisonment.