U.K. Man Pleads Guilty to Lying on Immigration Application

Press Release

Defendant concealed former identity and prior fraud convictions from immigration authorities

BOSTON - A U.K. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to making false statements in an immigration matter.

Duncan Hollands, a/k/a Duncan Herd, 58, a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in Cambridge pleaded guilty to one count of falsely swearing in an immigration matter. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 10, 2025. In August 2024, Hollands was charged by criminal complaint.

In May 2021, Hollands applied for lawful permanent residence status (more commonly known as a green card) and attended an interview for that application. The application form requires applicants to answer various background questions, such as prior names or aliases and any criminal history, so that immigration authorities can determine whether the applicant is eligible for the sought status. On his application and during his interview in February 2022, Hollands falsely reported that he had never used another name and denied having any history with the criminal justice system. However, Hollands did in fact have a prior name, Duncan Herd, under which he was previously convicted and sentenced to over three years in prison for obtaining property by deception along with other charges. Hollands also had other interactions with the criminal justice systems in the United Kingdom and France.

The charge provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Matthew O'Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Cambridge and Woburn, Mass. Police Departments and U.K. law enforcement authorities. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

Updated January 15, 2025