BVI man convicted of possessing fake green card

A federal jury in St Thomas, USVI has convicted a British Virgin Islands man of possessing a counterfeit permanent resident card, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.

United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced that on February 25, 2026, a jury found Nigel Cooper, 52, of the British Virgin Islands, guilty of possession of a counterfeit alien registration card, commonly known as a permanent resident card. Mark A. Kearney presided over the trial.

Evidence presented at trial showed that on October 30, 2025, Cooper appeared for inspection at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office in Cruz Bay, St. John. A CBP officer testified that Cooper presented a valid BVI passport to enter the United States. During a secondary inspection, officers discovered a permanent resident card in his wallet.

Prosecutors presented evidence that the card bore Cooper’s name and photograph, but the identifying number was registered to a female Chinese national. Records checks revealed no evidence that Cooper had ever applied for or been issued a permanent resident card in the United States. A forensic document analysis expert testified that the card was counterfeit.

According to court documents and trial evidence, CBP officers learned during an interview that Cooper purchased the permanent resident card from a Missouri store in the summer of 2025.

The conviction carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Denise N. George prosecuted the case.