International soccer player living in Rhode Island convicted of providing false immigration information

PROVIDENCE – An international soccer player from Liberia has been convicted by a federal court jury in Providence of lying to immigration officials and providing false information on immigration documents in an attempt to gain legal status in the United States.

The jury convicted Prince Mark Boley, 30, of presentation of a perjured immigration document and false statements, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Denis C. Riordan, District Director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services District 1, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh.

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.

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 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.

In September 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, R.I. 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.

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.

Boley is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2019, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, who presided over the three-day trial.

Presentation of a perjured immigration document and false statements are punishable by statutory penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zechariah Chafee.