St. Thomas, VI –United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that on February 25, 2026, a federal jury convicted Nigel Cooper, 52, of the British Virgin Islands, for possession of a counterfeit alien registration card, also known as a “permanent resident card.” District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney presided over the trial.
During trial, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer testified that on October 30, 2025, Cooper presented himself for inspection at the Cruz Bay, St. John, CBP office. Cooper presented a valid BVI passport for entry into the United States. However, upon further inspection, CBP officers found a permanent resident card in his wallet.
Evidence presented at trial further revealed that the card, which bore Cooper’s name and photograph, had an identifying number registered to a female Chinese national. Records checks revealed no record of Cooper having applied for a permanent resident card in the United States, and none was issued to him. An expert witness in forensic document analysis testified that the card was counterfeit. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, during an interview of the defendant, CBP officers learned that the defendant purchased the permanent resident card from a Missouri store during the summer of 2025.
The conviction carries up to a ten-year sentence of imprisonment. The District Court will schedule a sentencing hearing to determine the defendant’s sentence. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant United States Attorney Denise N. George of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands is prosecuting the case.