MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Martinsburg, West Virginia, man has admitted to illegally obtaining a passport to travel overseas, violating a court order.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports 52-year-old Bobby Allen Stark of Martinsburg pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of making a false statement in application for a passport. Stark was on bond from a charge pending in Colorado and was ordered to surrender his passport. Four days following the surrender of his passport, he applied for a new one, claiming his passport was lost. Stark then used his new passport to flee to Guyana, where he was later apprehended by authorities.
Stark is facing up to 10 years in prison. He will be sentenced at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The U.S. Marshals Service and the Guyana Federal Police assisted.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Kane is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
