An Indian national has been arrested in the United States for allegedly possessing a forged alien resident card, federal prosecutors said.
US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Swapnil Ramesh Tejale, 34, was taken into custody and charged with possession of a counterfeit Lawful Permanent Resident Card.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of USD 250,000, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
Assistant US Attorney Michael J Smith, who is prosecuting the case, said that on July 10, 2025, the Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station received a request from the Niagara Falls Police Department to help identify three individuals detained during a traffic stop.
Border Patrol agents questioned the trio about their citizenship. Tejale presented a Lawful Permanent Resident Card but admitted it was fictitious. Authorities determined he was unlawfully present in the US without valid immigration documents.
After being taken into custody, agents found a Social Security Card in Tejale’s name. Record checks revealed it was also counterfeit.
The case forms part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at tackling illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organisations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
The investigation was conducted by the US Border Patrol’s Niagara Falls Station under the supervision of Patrol Agent in Charge Brady Waikal.
In a related case, an Indian national living in Santa Rosa, California, was sentenced on March 5 to six months in prison by a US District Court in Seattle.
He was convicted of Conspiracy to Bring in and Transport Certain Aliens for Profit following an investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Border Patrol, according to a separate statement from ICE.
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