A federal grand jury in Baltimore has indicted Beautiful Life Allah, also known as Tezelle Miller and Tezell Miller, from Gwynn Oak, Maryland. The 65-year-old faces charges of passport fraud, aggravated identity theft, making false statements, and misrepresenting a social security number.
The announcement came from Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with David M. Richeson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) in the Washington Field Office, and Colleen Lawlor, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) for the Philadelphia Field Division.
Per the indictment, Allah allegedly used another person’s social security number to apply for a passport, submitted a fraudulent custody order in an effort to obtain a passport for his minor child, and made false statements on passport applications between August 2022 and February 2023.
If found guilty, Allah may face up to 10 years in prison for passport fraud, a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft, up to five years for false statements, and another five years for false representation of a social security number. Sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.
The sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. It is important to note that an indictment is not evidence of guilt; the individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney Hayes acknowledged the efforts of DSS and SSA-OIG in the investigation and extended thanks to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon, who is handling the prosecution.
For more information about the operations of the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, including how to report fraud, please visit their official website.