Liberian Soccer Player Convicted of Lying to Immigration Officials & Providing False Information
Thursday, July 18, 2019
An international soccer player form Liberia has been convicted by a federal court in Providence of lying to immigration officials and providing false information on immigration documents in an effort to gain legal status in the U.S., announced U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman.
Prince Mark Foley, 30, was convicted of presentation of a perjured immigration document and false statements.
The Court declared a mistrial on a charge of marriage fraud to evade deportation after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on that charge.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBoley is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2019.
The Investigation
According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, Boley entered the United States on a non-immigrant six-month visa on July 24, 2015, valid until January 23, 2016. It was extended for six months to July 2016.
In December of 2015, Boley was introduced to a Rhode Island woman by his niece who, at a later date on behalf of Boley, asked the woman if she would marry Boley in order for him to obtain a green card and legal status in the United States.
The woman agreed, and they were married in a civil ceremony on May 13, 2016. A marriage license and marriage certificate were filed in Lincoln, the town in which the woman resided. Boley continued to live at his Providence residence.
According to the U.S. Attorney, in September of 2016, Boley and the woman signed and submitted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) forms as Boley sought to obtain permanent legal status in the United States, based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. Both stated on their respective forms that their home address was the woman’s Lincoln residence. Their signatures certified truthfulness under penalty of perjury.
On June 8, 2017, as part of the standard immigration application process, Boley and the woman were interviewed in person, at times separately, by a USCIS officer. Both reported that they were then living together in a Harrisville, residence. During her interview with the USCIS officer, in an attempt to establish that the two had a relationship, the woman allowed the officer to review text messages on her cell phone between her and Boley. While the agent was reviewing the text messages, a new text arrived from someone other than Boley indicating she had sexual relations with someone other than Boley. The woman admitted to the agent to recently having had sex with that individual.
According to the U.S. Attorney, due to inconsistencies in information developed by USCIS and the text message viewed by the officer, the USCIS interviewer suspected fraud and turned the matter over to the USCIS Fraud Unit. The fraud unit’s investigation included a visit to the Harrisville residence where they found little or no proof that the two were living together as a married couple. The matter was then referred to Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) criminal investigators.
At trial, the woman testified that her marriage to Boley was a sham, and that she married Boley solely for the purpose of him obtaining a green card. She testified that she and Boley did not live together and never had a physical relationship, but that Boley did take steps to create a paper trail that he resided with her, such as having some of his mail sent to her address where he did not live.
A neighbor who lived across the hall from the woman testified that Boley never lived at the residence.
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