SEONGIL Lee, also known as Nasaro Lee, was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to making false statements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry of Saipan last month.
At the sentencing hearing on Monday, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI said upon release from imprisonment, Lee “shall also submit to a term of supervised release of one year and comply with conditions as adopted by the court.”
The judge likewise directed Lee to pay a special assessment fee of $100 immediately after sentencing.
Lee was represented by court-appointed attorney Bruce Berline, while U.S. Assistant Attorney Garth Backe appeared for the federal government.
According to the court, Lee’s passport will be surrendered to the Enforcement Removal Office by the U.S. Probation Office.
Lee remains out of custody.
Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations filed a criminal complaint against Lee who presented a South Korean passport in the name of another person — Nasaro Lee — and made false statements and representations to CBP officials.
According to Department of Homeland Security records, Seongil Lee was convicted in an illegal drug case in Japan and served five years and eight months in prison for drug trafficking.
Based on his narcotic conviction, Lee is deemed inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
However, because his Electronic System for Travel Authorization application failed to disclose that he was a convicted felon, and because he used a South Korean passport in the name of “Nasaro Lee” with a date of birth that is different from his own, Seongil Lee was admitted to Saipan on Oct. 16, 2021.
