The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A HAITIAN man was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday for trying to fraudulently obtain Bahamian citizenship by using a fake Haitian passport.

Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans sentenced 29-year-old Jamesly Fils-Aime, who had assumed the identity of Johnny Tannis to carry out his scheme, to a year behind bars for his actions between September 2019 and last month.

The judge further ordered Fils-Aime to pay a $500 fine for trying to deceive a public officer or serve four months in prison in default.

Prior to being sentenced, Fils-Aime pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted fraud; possession of false documents; uttering of a false document and deceit of a public officer.

Fils-Aime admitted to trying to fraudulently obtain Bahamian citizenship for himself between September 9, 2019 and January 28.

He further admitted to uttering and subsequently being caught with a fake Haitian passport in the name of Johnny Tannis on January 28.

He further admitted to using those documents to deceive an employee at the Bahamas Department of Immigration on January 29.

According to the facts read by the prosecutor Sergeant Kendrick Bauld, Fils-Aime was arrested for breach of the Immigration Act.

At the time of his arrest, he had a Haitian passport issued by the Haitian Consulate in the Bahamas in the name of Johnny Tannis, date of birth May 3, 1985 with a photo attached.

The passport indicated that Tannis’ place of birth was Freeport, Grand Bahama. Fils-Aime also had a Bahamian birth certificate bearing Tannis’ name.

When later interviewed by Immigration Department officers, Fils-Aime said he was born in the Bahamas to Haitian parents; he also said at the time that he was taken to Haiti as a child by his parents and returned to the Bahamas illegally in July of last year.

Fils-Aime was subsequently tried and convicted for illegal landing.

Further inquiries were conducted at the Passport Office which revealed that the photographs of the real Johnny Tannis were not Fils-Aime and that the real Johnny Tannis had left the Bahamas some time ago. As a result the matter was reported to the police.

On Tuesday, Fils-Aime was cautioned and arrested by officers of the Anti Corruption Unit while at the Detention Centre. He was then booked in at the Carmichael Road police station and later taken to his residence on Bahama Avenue.

While there, officers spoke with an elderly woman of Haitian descent, Elianne Alexander Tannis, who said that Fils-Aime showed up at her residence claiming to be her nephew.

She said while she could not confirm if Fils-Aime was actually her nephew, she allowed him to stay at her residence.

Fils-Aime was later interviewed under caution with the assistance of interpreter Charlene Jean when he admitted that his real name was Jamesly Fils-Aime. He said he took on Tannis’ identity to secure Bahamian status.

As a result of that information, an investigation was conducted by the police that led officers to the Haitian Embassy, the Registrar’s General Department as well as the Department of Immigration where officers recorded statements from the relevant personnel.

It was subsequently discovered that Fils-Aime did have another Haitian passport in his real name that he used to enter the Bahamas on July 27, 2019.