PORTLAND, Ore. – An American man pleaded guilty Wednesday to misusing a British passport obtained using the name of a baby who died over 50 years ago.
Timothy Matthews, 54, faces a maximum of 10 years in a prison when he's sentenced in June, but without prior convictions he's expected to get no more than probation.
The Oregon resident did not make a statement at the hearing in federal court, and declined comment outside the courtroom.
Roughly 20 years ago, the United Kingdom issued him a passport for Peter Matthews — a baby who died in Neath, Wales, shortly after birth on Sept. 6, 1963.
He used it enter Mexico and other countries before his fraud was detected in 2012 while crossing California's San Ysidro port of entry from Tijuana. The U.K. revoked the passport in October of that year.
U.S. Department of State Special Agent Michael T. McLean said in a court document that Matthews was born Timothy Scheidt in Lander, Wyoming, on Sept. 11, 1963.
He changed his surname to Matthews on Sept. 6, 2013, the day the deceased baby would have turned 50, according to Multnomah County court records.
His lawyer, Alison Clark, told a judge at a previous hearing that Matthews decided he liked that last name after using it for long. She declined comment after Wednesday's hearing.
Matthews' motive for obtaining the passport under the baby's name remains unknown. He was able to get U.S. passports as Timothy Scheidt and, later, Timothy Matthews.
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