Border crossing offences in Buffalo courts

Two people face prison sentences stemming from unrelated incidents which occurred at Niagara border crossings. Abdoulaye Barry, a citizen of Guinea, pleaded guilty this week in a Buffalo, N.Y., court to possessing a fraudulent passport card and aggravated identity theft. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. According to assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque, Barry was stopped at the Rainbow Bridge Feb. 26 after border officials found a fake U.S. passport. The passport had Barry’s photograph, but also the name and card number of another person. He was also carrying a fake Ohio driver’s licence and Florida driver’s licence bearing the name and photograph of another person as well a several credit and debit cards. The 25-year-old returns to court in August for sentencing. In an unrelated matter, LaTanya Notice pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal officer. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Court heard the 42-year-old woman and a male companion crossed the Peace Bridge in January 2013. She told border officials the man was her brother. A database check revealed the man had served 72 months in prison in New York on various charges including conspiracy to commit murder. He had been deported in 2012 and banned from entering the U.S. Notice then admitted the man was her husband, not her brother. She returns to court in July for sentencing.