Australian's fake passport arraignment delayed

Houston Chronicle ^ | July 17, 2002, 11:53AM | No byline

[weegee]

A 20-year-old Australian man's arraignment on charges of using a fake passport in Harris County recently has been rescheduled for Aug. 1.

Adam John Hart, also known as Farouk Kigozi, was to be in the 351st State District Court this morning on a charge of forgery of a government document.

Hart's attorney, William Stradley, said this morning that Hart was a "good kid on holiday" who falsified his identification to get into bars.

"It was absolutely the worst fake ID you could find, but it doesn't go any further than that," Stradley said.

Hart was arrested Thursday night near the San Jacinto Monument when he refused to leave the park, according to spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Authorities determined he had three passports, one of which had been altered.

FBI agents questioned Hart after his arrest but said they had "no interest." Hart remains in the Harris County Jail on $5,000 bond.

[weegee]

This is a follow-up article to:

Another Australian Arrested Linked to al-Qaeda Terror Network (in Houston, Texas "Restricted Area

[weegee]

PING, today's followup.

Did not mention his AWOL status, downplayed the "restricted" area he was in. Adds details that he had 3 passports, one altered.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

I am so pleased the FBI had "no interest", sheesh.

[Shermy]

Well, here's the first story, from the Canberra Times. No description since why they would mention "Qaeda".

Another Australian Arrested Linked to al-Qaeda Terror Network (in Houston, Texas "Restricted Area")

[Shermy]

Belom the "Sydney Morning Herald".

Al-Qaeda suspect a 'normal Aussie kid': lawyer

A young Sydney man falsely linked to al-Qaeda was just a "normal Aussie kid" caught in the US with a fake ID, his lawyer said today.

Adam John Hart, 20, was arrested at a military tourist site in Texas on July 11 and has remained in a Houston jail since, despite being granted bail.

Hart's lawyer, Bill Stradley, said today his client only planned to use his fake ID to buy alcohol and enter bars during a US holiday.

Hart had glued a photo of himself on a Ugandan passport a friend had given him at a hostel in San Francisco, according to Stradley.

The legal drinking age in Texas and most American states is 21.

"He got the bright idea that he can use this passport to get into bars if he glued his own picture on it," Stradley told AAP.

Hart was arrested on July 11 at the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas State Historical Site.

The Harris County Sheriff's Department said Hart had refused to leave the park and when they searched him they discovered the fake passport.

The tourist sites, because of their military nature, have been under heavy security surveillance since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Hart was charged with forgery and has remained in a Texan jail since his arrest.

A report earlier this week in The Canberra Times newspaper alleged Hart had links to al-Qaeda, but US and Australian authorities have since confirmed there was no link.

"It is completely wrong," Stradley said of the al-Qaeda allegations.

"Authorities were extremely cautious and questioned him greatly and I understand the FBI and federal authorities were completely satisfied he was just a kid on holiday with a fake ID so he could get into bars."

The lawyer said Hart is a snowboarding fanatic who worked for six months on the Whistler snowfields in Canada.

After his Whistler working holiday was over, Hart bought a car in Canada and embarked on a driving sightseeing tour of the US.

While staying in a hostel in San Francisco a friend of Hart's gave him a passport of a Ugandan citizen named Farouk Kigozi, the lawyer said.

Because Hart was only 20 and the age on the Ugandan passport was over 21, Hart decided to glue a photo of himself on top of the picture already in the passport.

Stradley described Hart's poorly constructed fake ID as "the most unfortunate one ever".

Hart appeared briefly in a Houston court this morning but the matter was adjourned to August 1.

A judge has granted Hart a $US5,000 ($A9,000) bond and in normal circumstances he would only have to come up with 10 per cent of that amount to be released from the Harris County Jail.

But because Hart is not an American citizen, US immigration authorities "have placed a hold on his ability to get out on bond", Stradley said.

Texan jails are regarded as some of the worst in the US, but Stradley said Hart appeared to be coping well.

"I have a lot of clients and I am generally a pretty good judge of whether they are doing well in jail and I sense that he's a strong kid," Stradley said.

"He's obviously distraught but he's handling it very well and just can't believe his bad luck."

Hart's father, who is presently in London on business, has been in regular contact with the lawyer and will soon travel to Houston to be with his son.

"He's a really nice kid from a loving family in Australia," Stradley said.

A spokeswoman from the Harris County District Attorney's office said she could not comment on the matter other than: "The case was in court today but it was re-set for August 1."

[Shermy]

Hmmm... "three", not two passports. Also, no mention of his going AWOL from the Aussie Army.

[Shermy]

And no mention why he wouldn't leave the park.

[weegee]

I'll never get over these "all american" names that also have a muslim alternate identity. We're being blinded with regard to the names.

???

Adam John Hart, also known as Farouk Kigozi

Not to be confused with Johnny Hart (of the BC comic strip)

Charles Bishop aka Charles Bishra

Richard Reid aka Abdel Rahim (and his dad says that Islam accepted him for "who" he was)
Not to be confused with ROBERT REED

John "Johnny" Lindh Walker aka Sullyman
Not to be confused with Johnny Walker Whiskey

[weegee]

So if Ugandan citizen Farouk Kigozi is another person (with a missing passport):

(a) has he reported his passport missing?

(b) did his name trigger the "Al Quaeda" link?

(c) why didn't he just photo copy his passport and alter the birthdate on the copy?

I liked the bit about the jails in Texas being "among the worst" (I think this is in regards to 'overcrowding' as they are near occupancy). Let criminals think that Texas jails are no place to be and maybe they'll commit their crimes in other states.

[weegee]

Good find on the article, by the way.

[Shermy]

I think weegee needs some credit for his wonderful pictorial analysis!

[dighton]

Not to be confused with Johnny Walker Whiskey

Given enough Johnnie Walker, anything might be confused for anything.

[weegee]

It's not always easy to find the alternate identities. 'Richard Reid' had some others but that was the one that I readily found.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It would be nice to know how often they are travelling with different identities.

Some of the muslims with falsified driver's licenses in Tennessee already had driver's licenses and were obtaining more. I am curious just how many aliases they are using.

This Australian may be incredibly stupid to try to put off the impression that he was "Ugandan, mate!" I don't believe that there is anyone in the world who does not understand the significance of a passport. He's knowingly roaming around with someone else's passport for a different country no less; all so he can get some beer?

What was he using for a driver's license? Canadian DL? Australian DL? International DL? US? Passport?

Someone says "leave the park" and he says "no"? I'd classify him as a drifter and certainly no better.

[weegee]

It seemed to me that the press was trying to make the name association.

[xp38]

Texan jails are regarded as some of the worst in the US

This is all a matter of perspective...Might be the best from where I view it.

[general_re]

Adam John Hart, also known as Farouk Kigozi...

Bad form. If you want to change your name, there's a few simple rules you can follow.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT NAME

There's a long tradition of silly names in polite society: Sir John Suckling, Millard Fillmore, Algernon Swinburne, Beerbohm Tree, Armand Hammer, Pia Zadora, and so on. It's best to keep your own name even if it's awful. Brazen it out like an Englishman would. And if anyone laughs, punch him like an American.

It can even be an advantage to have a silly name if you're going into show business or such related fields as law and politics. If you don't have a bad name already, give yourself a terrible nickname. "Dirty," "Buggo," "Weenie," and "Blimp" are good. They'll make you "a character." And "a character" can get away with murder or, anyway, perjury, as "Tricky" Dick Nixon did.

Still, it's hard to be the right sort of person if you're called Clement Squid or something. But this is easy to fix.

An objectionable first name like "Rufus," "Melvin," "Eustace," or "Gladys" can become an initial or two. Thus the rather odd "Ignatius Aloysius Conners" becomes the perfectly normal "I.A. Conners." Add a third initial from some family name for extra pizzazz: "I.A.J. Conners."

A dull last name can be improved by using your mother's maiden name. "Bob Smith" will never be remembered by anyone and looks like adultery when you sign a hotel register. But "Williams Smith" is very nice.

Some ethnic groups, notably central Europeans, have last names which sound very unfortunate in English. The usual approach is to shorten them. This wouldn't work with "Schlumfuch" or "Lipbum," however. So an alternate strategy is to add ethnically compatible syllables. "Schlumerfuchenstein" or "Lipperbummenman" are almost ridiculous enough to make you a Hapsburg prince.

The most difficult last names are the simply foolish, e.g., "Fink," "Nerts," "Stinkum," or "Balls," and those which require constant explanation, e.g., "Hitler" or "Mussolini." The trick nation here is to change the spelling and pronunciation in a small and natural way. There's nothing wrong with "Frank," "Neff," "Stankan," "Balsum " "Hittner," or "Mussoli."

Try to be reasonably honest with your name change. It shouldn't look as though you're trying to pull something. "Nowakowski" can become "Nowak" but not "Norwalk." "Pushkinikoff" can become "Pushkin" but not "Perkins." And use some logical occasion for your change of namegoing away to school, for instance, or enlisting in the Army or having your first business card or by-line printed. Don't be shy about this. Ladies' man Gary Hartpence went so far as to run for President in order to have occasion to change his last name.

-- P.J. O'Rourke, Modern Manners - An Etiquette Book For Rude People

[general_re]

Mea culpa - #17, svp...

[weegee]

Another odd detail, check the man's name in the different articles:

Adam Mark Hart, 21

Adam John Hart, 20

Since the Houston Comical quotes the US attorney as saying that this man was on "holiday" (the UK expression for 'vacation') I'm almost of the mind that the local article is based on the international article.

I found an AP photo and caption on Yahoo, but no longer story.

I didn't find anything on any of the names. It is really sloppy journalism that they can't even get a name straight. Let alone provide more (or consistent) details.

[aculeus]

Bad form. If you want to change your name, there's a few simple rules you can follow.

Here's "Warner's Rule" (true story):

Middle-aged son of Jack Warner: "Pop, what was the family's name before it was "Warner".

Jack Warner (rich, retired from movies) replied, "I forget."