Charlotte man sentenced for using fraudulent passport cards
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Charlotte man was sentenced Monday for using fraudulent passport cards to obtain lines of credit.
According to court documents and court proceedings from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Calvin Williams, now 31, forged U.S. passport cards in from late 2019 until May 2022, using the personal identifying information of victims of identity theft. A U.S. passport card is a wallet sized passport that is issued by the U.S. Department of State, serves as proof of U.S. citizenship and identity, and allows for travel to and from certain countries.
Williams was sentenced to to five years in prison followed by two years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. He pleaded guilty to passport forgery in April 2023.
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Court documents show that Williams created fraudulent cards in the names of identity theft victims, substituting the photographs of the victims with his own photograph. Then Williams used the cards to open multiple lines of credit with various retail and online stores. He reportedly purchased new iPhones and other electronic items.
Over the course of the investigation, evidence indicated that law enforcement seized more than 30 forged passport cards from Williams. He continued the scheme after he was placed on state probation for convictions involving identity theft and obtaining property by false pretenses.
Williams is currently in custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
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