A Jamaican national living in New Haven has been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported following a conviction on weapon and drug charges.
Dwayne Claud Singh, 39, appeared Wednesday in federal court in Hartford where U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver sentenced him to 22 months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Federal officials said Singh was convicted in state court in 2014 on drug, weapon and forgery charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was deported to Jamaica in January 2018.
According to authorities, Singh illegally reentered the country and obtained a California driver’s license in the name of “Kevin Anthony Smith.” He began using that false identity and the fake license to get a job and to register and obtain insurance on two vehicles in Connecticut, federal officials said.
Singh has been detained since he was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on July 23, 2025. He was last known to be living in New Haven, officials said.
At the time of the arrest, Singh had a state warrant out for his arrest on charges of breach of peace and threatening, officials said. The warrant for his arrest had been signed in March 2023.
On Oct. 4, 2025, Singh pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful reentry.