37 year-old Jamaican National Lawrence Walcott was caught in an identity theft scam, in which he was aided by a Belizean national. According to Immigration officers, in January of this year, Walcott came to the Immigration Office to apply for a passport in the name of Jamal Walton with the help of 36 year-old Belizean Nigel Flowers.

But as with the routine procedure with the department, a thorough check was launched into the particular information given on the documents and that's when officers saw some discrepancies.

They noticed that the Jamaican national had registered late for his birth certificate since he was born in 1975 and he just registered in 2012 so the department became suspicious. When his friend, Flowers came to the Immigration office yesterday morning at around 10:00 a.m., to pick up Walcott's passport, he was told to call Walcott so he could visit the office in person to do the pick up himself. When Walcott came, that's when the officers detained and charged them both. Walcott was charged with two Immigration offences of two counts of using a certificate not entitled being a Birth certificate and a Social Security card in the name of Jamal Walton, a legitimate Dangriga resident.

Walcott pleaded guilty to both charges when he was arraigned in Magistrate's Court yesterday and he was fined a total of $2,000 to be paid forthwith. For his involvement, Flowers was arraigned today on 2 counts of assisting someone to remain in Belize in violation of the Immigration Laws.