FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 18, 2008
ALIK SZILLAT SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on January 18, 2008, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, ALIK SZILLAT, a 46-year-old resident of Germany, appeared for sentencing. SZILLAT was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 214 days, time served
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
SZILLAT was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to fraud in connection with identification documents and information.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On June 19, 2007, SZILLAT, a German citizen, was refused entry into Canada. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Roosville, north of Eureka, found several documents in SZILLAT'S possession which included the following: (2) German National Identification documents, (2) German driver's licenses, and (2) American Express Cards. Both sets of government documents contained pictures of SZILLAT, but one set of the documents had the name Herbert Matzkeit with a date of birth of April 20, 1972.
CBP officers questioned SZILLAT about these documents. He stated that the documents belonged to a friend of his in Germany and he took them by accident prior to traveling to the United States. SZILLAT told CBP officers that he and his friend look very much alike and are often mistaken for brothers. He stated he had been staying with a friend of his in Salmon, Idaho, since arriving in the United States, but denied working in the United States.
CBP officers contacted an agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The ICE agent then called and spoke with SZILLAT'S friend in Idaho about SZILLAT. The friend would have testified that SZILLAT had been working for him since SZILLAT arrived in late April of 2007. The friend owns several businesses and paid SZILLAT to move inventory as well as perform odd jobs. In exchange for his work, the friend paid SZILLAT $300 a week and provided him a cabin to live in at a resort that he owns near Salmon, Idaho. SZILLAT was admitted as a visitor to the United States and therefore was not permitted to work in the United States.
When SZILLAT was arrested, he was instructed to remove an overcoat and a leather vest he was wearing. Inside the pocket of the vest were a large number of documents. Discovered among the documents was an additional German passport different from the passport SZILLAT presented for admission to the United States. This second German passport was in the name of Herbert Matzkeit.
On June 20, 2007, SZILLAT was interviewed and admitted that he had taken his friend's birth certificate (Herbert Matzkeit's) while in Germany and used it to apply for and obtain a passport, a driver's license, and a national identification card in Matzkeit's name, but bearing his, SZILLAT'S, picture. SZILLAT stated he had not used the documents yet but anticipated using them once the visa assigned to his own true passport expired.
During the investigation, authorities learned that SZILLAT is a fugitive wanted by German authorities for fraud offenses.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that SZILLAT will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, SZILLAT does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Horsman prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
