MONTEGO BAY, St James — A passport application that carried the shadow of a false identity has ended in court, with a St James man paying a heavy price for a decision he says he made in his younger years.

Richardo Kerr of Lilliput pleaded guilty last Wednesday to making a false declaration when he appeared before Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton in the St James Parish Court.

The case began on January 26 at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, where immigration investigators received information suggesting a possible double-identity situation involving Kerr.

About 1:00 pm Kerr arrived on a flight from Fort Lauderdale and presented an American passport. He was taken in for questioning and informed that he was under investigation.

Further checks revealed that Kerr had submitted a passport renewal application to the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA). Investigators discovered another passport had been issued using the same photograph but bearing the name Mushtaq Mohammed Grant.

During a follow-up interview Kerr was cautioned and shown the application along with the passport photographs. He identified the images and admitted he had applied for a passport under the name Mushtaq Mohammed Grant before giving his correct name.

The court heard that the passport was never used.

Before sentencing, Judge Fairclough-Hylton asked, “Is there anything you would like to say, Mr Kerr?”

Kerr replied that he was younger when he made the mistake, and offered an apology to the court.

The judge imposed a fine of $300,000 or 30 days’ imprisonment.