Immigration fraudster sentenced to three years in jail

Mark John Dublin’s numerous pleas to Chief Magistrate Sonya Young to spare him a prison sentence fell on deaf ears, as he was sentenced to three years in jail, after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud and deception.{{more}}

Dublin was deported from Canada on May 9, after travelling there using a fraudulently obtained passport, in the name of Franko Roberts, who died in 2007.

“I want to apologise to the people of SVG for what I have done. I want to apologize to the police and to the immigration also…,” Dublin pleaded.

In his explanation, Dublin told the court that he was removed from Canada in 2011, while he was on “sponsorship”.

“ I was married in Canada. My wife took sick with a cyst in her ovaries. She’s by herself in Canada… She recently did surgery and did tests to see if it is cancerous..,” he added.

Dublin said after his wife left the hospital, she could not fly to St Vincent and it was out of frustration he committed the act.

“I wasn’t planning to stay in Canada. My wife is now pregnant with my first child and I would like to be there for my first child.”

He told the court that he was 7-years-old when his mother passed away from breast cancer and he just wanted another chance.

“I am asking you to be lenient on me and give me a fine please. I go to the jail for one night and it’s not a place I want to be. It will kill me to be in jail…,” Dublin added.

Chief Magistrate Young firmly told Dublin that she was not going to fine him for such an act. “You applied for a passport in a dead man’s name? So because you lost your mother, that gives you a pass? Your apology is falling on deaf ears…,” Young said.

Young said with such a crime, people like Dublin are going to make it bad for other Vincentians. “They are going to close their borders to us very soon. I don’t condone this at all. You are just sorry you got caught and I know you weren’t coming back here and you know you had a pregnant wife in Canada…”

“When it comes to my rights as a Vincentian, nobody is infringing that. You are all overdoing a good joke. We are going to run into some serious problems…,” Young added.

Dublin was charged with giving Gwendolyn Burgin, deputy supervisor of elections, a birth certificate in the name of Franco Roberts (deceased), a document which he knew or believed to be false, intended to cause Burgin to issue an SVG identification card on December 20, 2011.

He was also charged with defrauding Gwendolyn Burgin by falsely representing himself to be Franco Roberts, someone other than Mark John Dublin, at Kingstown on December 20, 2011.

Dublin was charged with presenting Kendra Matthias, a person employed in the public service, a birth certificate in the name of Franco Roberts, a document he knew or believed to be false, intending to cause Matthias to issue an SVG passport, on December 22, 2011,

Dublin was further charged with defrauding Matthias by falsely representing himself to be Franco Roberts of Diamond, someone other than Mark John Dublin on December 22, 2011 at Kingstown.

For falsely representing himself, he was sentenced to three years each and for presenting the documents to Burgin and Matthias, he was sentenced to one year on each count.

The sentences will run concurrently.

Dublin told the court that Franko was a friend of his. (KW)