Woman admits Guyana passport fraud

A Dominican Republic national has been handed a GY$200,000 (45,300 Domincan pesos) fine after pleading guilty to two charges of passport fraud.

Ysabel Cuzma Benitez, 31, appeared before magistrates and admitted intent to defraud between 13 May 2016 and 20 December 2016.

She accepted that she conspired to forge an Guyana Immigration Service stamp in her Dominican Republic passport.

Failure to pay the fine will mean a six-month jail term.

Benitez was caught after showing the document to an immigration officer on 13 April.

Simone Payne, prosecuting, told the aught that the defendant legally entered in Guyana on 2 February 2017. On arrival she was granted a stay of one month.

Benitez was also granted an extension to this initial visa.

According to the prosecutor, upon placing the endorsement stamp in her passport, it was discovered that she had a previous extension stamp in her passport and it was forged.

The prosecutor said that Benitez claimed she paid a man US$500 for the stamp.