Ghanaian Man Sentenced to Two Years in Canada for Using Fake Passport on 16 International Trips
A 22-year-old Ghanaian national, Jefferson Zormelo, has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Canadian court after using a fraudulent Canadian passport to travel into and out of the country 16 times over a 15-month period.
Justice Karen Molle handed down the sentence in Calgary, Alberta, following Zormelo’s guilty plea to offenses under the Canadian Citizenship Act. Taking into account the pre-trial custody time already served since his arrest, Zormelo has approximately 14 months remaining on his prison sentence.
Court documents revealed that Zormelo initially arrived in Canada in 2021 on a student visa. However, Canadian immigration authorities issued an exclusion order for his removal in 2024 after discovering he was no longer enrolled in school. To evade deportation, Zormelo acquired fraudulent identity documents—including proof of Canadian citizenship—and obtained a Canadian passport in December 2024 under the alias Mitchell Leblanc. Between then and early 2026, he used the false passport to navigate international airports in Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax.
The elaborate scheme collapsed in April 2026 when Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers arrested Zormelo in Calgary after he presented a forged permanent resident card bearing the alias to officials at the United States Consulate. A search of his hotel room uncovered the fraudulent Canadian passport alongside additional fake identification materials.
During the sentencing proceedings, prosecutors urged the court to impose a five-year prison term, citing the deliberate and calculated nature of the crime. In defense, Zormelo’s legal counsel argued for leniency, pointing to his difficult upbringing, poverty, and personal hardship in Ghana. While acknowledging his desire to build a life in Canada, Justice Molle ruled that the sophisticated nature of the fraud severely compromised public safety, damaged Canada’s international reputation, and undermined the integrity of the nation’s citizenship and border systems.
Source: Thepressradio.com
