22-Year-Old Ghanaian Gets Two Years in Jail for Fraud in Canada
- Jefferson Zormelo, 22, pleaded guilty to violating the Canadian Citizenship Act after using a fake passport to cross Canadian borders repeatedly
- Zormelo originally arrived in Canada on a study permit in 2021 before authorities issued an exclusion order for his removal
- A Calgary judge described the fraud as sophisticated and elaborate, citing serious implications for national security and Canada's international reputation
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A Ghanaian national has been sentenced to two years in prison in Canada after using a fraudulent Canadian passport to enter and exit the country on 16 separate occasions, a court in Calgary heard on Monday.
Jefferson Zormelo, 22, pleaded guilty earlier this year to violating the Canadian Citizenship Act. Justice Karen Molle, delivering her ruling, said the conduct "attacks the integrity of the Canadian citizenship regime," adding that it "jeopardized public safety and our national security" and damaged Canada's standing abroad.
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How Zormelo obtained the fraudulent passport
Zormelo first arrived in Canada in 2021 on a study permit. By 2024, authorities established he was no longer enrolled in any academic institution and issued an exclusion order for his removal from the country, according to an agreed statement of facts filed alongside the guilty plea.
Rather than comply, Zormelo obtained false identification documents, including proof of citizenship under a fictitious name, and used them to secure a Canadian passport issued in December 2024 under the name Mitchell Leblanc. Over the following 15 months, he used that passport to pass through international airports in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax a total of 16 times.
His arrest came in April 2026 when Canada Border Services Agency officers in Calgary detained him after he presented a fraudulent permanent residency card in the Leblanc name to officials at the US Consulate. A subsequent search of his hotel room uncovered the false passport.
Sentencing and aggravating factors
Prosecutor Tyler Lord had pushed for a five-year custodial sentence, while defence lawyer Devin Frank argued for a time-served sentence of nine months, citing his client's difficult upbringing in Ghana, which reportedly involved poverty and abuse.
Justice Molle acknowledged that Zormelo was "desperate to live and work in Canada" but identified several aggravating factors in determining the final sentence. Chief among them was the deliberate and calculated nature of the offence. "Clever criminals pose a greater risk to public safety," Molle stated.
With credit applied for time already served since his arrest, Zormelo has approximately 14 months remaining to serve in custody.
Canada revises work rules for foreign workers
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Canada had changed its Temporary Foreign Worker Programme to extend the maximum period employers can hire low-wage foreign workers.
The government confirmed that it was doubling the maximum duration of a low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from one year to two.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
