Death Match

The State Department does not take kindly to people fraudulently obtaining passports, especially if they steal the identity of dead people to do so. In fact, several years ago, State's Diplomatic Security Service, in cooperation with the FBI, launched Operation Deathmatch, which cross-matched passport records with government death records, resulting in more than 100 arrests.

This week, State and the Customs and Border Protection Bureau announced they had used the Deathmatch techniques to nail John Skelton, a British citizen, at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Federal officials allege he stole the identity of U.S. citizen Kurt Branham, who died in 1994. Skelton was charged with identity fraud, making false statements and posing as a U.S. citizen.

"Stealing another person's identity is a very serious crime, but stealing the identity of a deceased citizen is despicable," said Stephen Dearborn, CBP Acting Port Director for the Port of Baltimore. "CBP and Diplomatic Security Service officials work vigorously to bring impostors to justice and to protect American citizens' identities. We are very pleased to end Mr. Skelton's charade."