DS Arrests Ex-Deputy U.S. MarshalBureau of Diplomatic SecurityWashington, DC August 17, 2007 Former Deputy U.S. Marshal Arrested by Diplomatic Security Special Agents On Passport Fraud Charges U.S. Department of State special agents arrested Richard Carl Eaton of Burbank, California on August 17, 2007, in San Dimas, California, on passport fraud charges. Diplomatic Security’s Los Angeles Field Office conducted the investigation in cooperation with the San Dimas Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, California charges Eaton with one count of making a false statement in a passport application. If convicted, Eaton faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000. The complaint alleges that Eaton obtained a U.S. passport using altered biographical information and counterfeit documents. According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Eaton owes a substantial amount of child support, which led HHS to place a hold on his passport. This would make Eaton ineligible to obtain a passport in his true identity. As part of the federal commitment to help states enforce child support obligations, the U.S. Department of State participates in the Passport Denial Program. The Department’s sole role in the Program is to deny issuance of a passport to persons identified by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Support Enforcement who have more than $2,500 in child support arrearages. Eaton will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Los Angeles on Monday, August 20, 2007, to enter a plea and for a determination of bail. During the investigation, special agents in Diplomatic Security’s Los Angeles Field Office discovered that the defendant had been a Deputy U.S. Marshal from February 1990-June 1993. Currently, Eaton is listed on the web site of a Los Angeles private investigations firm, Starside Security & Investigations Inc., as vice president. Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is the U.S. Department of State’s law enforcement and security arm. The special agents, engineers, and security professionals of the Bureau are responsible for the security of 285 U.S. diplomatic missions around the world. In the United States, Diplomatic Security personnel protect the U.S. Secretary of State and high-ranking foreign dignitaries and officials visiting the United States, investigate passport and visa fraud, and conduct personnel security investigations. More information about the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security may be obtained at www.diplomaticsecurity.state.gov You may register to receive via e-mail the latest press statements, as well as notification of new reports, speeches, testimonies, and other key documents from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Select "DOSDS" for your "listname" choice. Contact: |
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