Upper Marlboro Man Sentenced For Visa Fraud After Stealing Canadian's ID To Return To U.S.

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — A 55-year-old Upper Marlboro man has been sentenced for visa fraud.

An investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Maryland, along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, led to the apprehension of Douglas Anthony Eze.

According to his guilty plea, Eze, who owns Largo Financial Services, illegally entered Canada in 1991 using a fake passport. After Canada issued a deportation order in 1995, Eze fled. In 1997, he resurfaced in the United States, using the name and other identifying information of a Canadian citizen. Eze, who knew the victim, also took the citizen’s Canadian birth certificate to apply for a green card within the United States. He eventually became a U.S. citizen under the stolen Canadian identity and then changed his last name to Eze, ICE reported.

As a citizen under fraudulent pretenses, Eze adopted and sponsored two children for permanent residence in the United States, falsely declaring the stolen Canadian identity as his own in immigration documents for the children. Eze continued using the victim’s identity to apply for a U.S. passport, driver’s license and membership in the Global Entry Trusted Traveler Network. The victim never gave Eze permission to use his identifying information, according to ICE.

Eze was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

“Visa fraud isn’t just a paperwork violation; it’s a deliberate abuse of our immigration system and a direct threat to national security and public trust,” said Michael McCarthy, special agent in charge of HSI Maryland. “It undermines the rule of law, facilitates human trafficking and labor exploitation, and disadvantages those who play by the rules to live, work or study in the United States. When individuals or criminal networks manipulate visa programs for profit or deception, they erode the integrity of our borders, damage America’s global standing and place additional strain on limited enforcement resources. Combating visa fraud is about more than holding bad actors accountable—it’s about upholding the fairness, safety and opportunity at the core of the American Dream.”

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