BANGOR, Maine — A 21-year-old British citizen pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to entering the United States without inspection and lying to federal investigators after he and three companions walked through the woods from Quebec into Somerset County in the pre-dawn hours of April 3.
Hameed Mohammed Nagi and three other men crossed the heavily wooded border within a few hundred yards of the Saint Zacharie, Maine, port of entry, which was manned by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations. Upon exiting the woods, the four began walking east on the Golden Road.
Passersby reported the group to an OFO agent, who relayed the sighting to the U.S. Border Patrol station in Jackman. A USBP agent and an OFO agent responded, located the four men, and took them into custody without incident. All four identified themselves as citizens of the United Kingdom.
During subsequent questioning by FBI and USBP agents, Nagi falsely claimed he had not intentionally entered the United States, telling investigators he and his friends were on a hike in Canada and had accidentally crossed into the U.S. The Department of Justice said the claim was false.
On the false statement charge, Nagi faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. On the illegal entry charge, he faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced the plea, with Assistant United States Attorney Joel Casey handling the prosecution.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative that marshals federal resources to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations. USBP, OFO, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case.
Nagi will be sentenced following the completion of a presentence investigation report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. No sentencing date has been set.