A former IRA member is to appear in a Boston court today accused of entering the US using false documentation, writes Seán O'Driscoll, in New York
Mr Donald Oliver Brown (44), from Derry, was arrested on Friday for failing to reveal that he has served jail terms for IRA membership, hijacking and weapon possession. US officials also say that Mr Brown was convicted of murder but say the conviction was later commuted.
Mr Brown is being kept in a Boston jail until today's court hearing.
He has been charged with making false statements on an immigration document after arriving on a flight from London on Thursday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years' imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. According to the US government's court documents, Mr Brown allegedly misled immigration officials on a form in which he was asked if he had ever been convicted of two or more crimes that carried a combined prison term of five years or more.
The charge alleges that Mr Brown misled authorities by failing to reveal convictions in 1986 for murder, hijacking, membership of the Provisional IRA and unlawful possession of firearms. It adds that Mr Brown's murder charge was commuted but the hijacking and PIRA membership carried 10-year prison sentences each, while the weapons possession carried a maximum 14-year sentence.
The US attorney's office has said that authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Brown's arrival in the US.