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Yorkshire man held in identity theft case
A YORKSHIREMAN is being held in the United States accused of stealing the identity of a dead American.
John Skelton was arrested on Monday after flying in to Baltimore-Washington airport, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
He allegedly stole the identity of US citizen Kurt Branham, who died in 1994, according to spokesman Steve Sapp.
Skelton, 41, understood to have been living in Baltimore, was held after allegedly using a fraudulent US passport to re-enter the country after a trip to the UK.
He is accused of aggravated identity theft, making a false statement in an application and use of a US passport, and social security number fraud.
According to investigators, Skelton has said he had the passport issued to him in 2005 because he had become involved in a relationship and wanted to stay in the US.
He allegedly chose the name from a list of suggested identities given to him by a friend. Branham was the most English-sounding name of the group, so he opted for that.
Media reports in the US claim that Kurt Branham was a legislative aide to US Senator Mitch McConnell, who died in 1994 and had worked on legislation that included laws dealing with missing and abused children.
Court documents say the name had been on a watchlist since 2009, and customs officials notified the State Department after Skelton flew to London on July 2. Officers were waiting at Baltimore-Washington airport when Skelton got off his flight from London on Monday.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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