Passport, Identify Theft Charges Pressed Against Germantown Couple

GERMANTOWN, MD — A Germantown couple was charged with conspiracy to commit passport fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, bankruptcy fraud, and making false statements in a bankruptcy proceeding, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland said.

Authorities say that Andrews Oduro, 39, and Charmaine Miesha Brown, 43, conspired to get U.S. passports for family members who were not U.S. citizens. Once the couple got the passports, which were based on fake documents, they arranged to have family members come to the United States, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The U.S. Attorney said the couple also apply to receive Child Care Subsidy Program payments that they were not eligible for, by stating that a friend was watching and caring for their children when, in reality, Oduro was watching the children and falsely identified himself as someone else.

Oduro and Brown are each facing maximum sentences of 5 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit passport fraud and 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They also face mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft, and maximums of 5 years in prison for bankruptcy fraud and 5 years in prison for false statements in bankruptcy.