Sunday 1 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 1837Providing false information to obtain Irish passports, possessing a false Irish driving licence · Co. Cork

American man deported after Cork passport fraud sentence

Randolph Kirk Parker, a 73-year-old American man, applied for Irish passports in the names of two infants who died in the early 1950s and obtained a false Irish driving licence after arriving in Ireland in 1988 under the name Ray Travis. He was arrested at the Cork passport office on 14 September 2023 and identified through FBI fingerprint records matching a 1970 US arrest record. Parker pleaded guilty to four counts of providing false information to obtain Irish passports and one count of possessing a false driving licence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. He was sentenced in April 2024 to three and a half years with the final 15 months suspended. He was deported to the United States in April 2025.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In court7 Nov
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced22 Apr
    3 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
Parker applied for Irish passports in the names of two infants who died in 1952 (one report gives 1953 for one of the two) and obtained a false Irish driving licence under the name Philip Morris.
Where
The arrest took place at the passport office on South Mall, Cork.
When
Parker was arrested on 14 September 2023.
Cause
Parker said he applied for false passports after encountering visa difficulties in his business activities in Europe in the late 1980s.
Investigation
Gardaí identified Parker through FBI fingerprint records matching a 1970 US arrest record, after facial recognition in 2017 flagged a match between passports issued under two different names.
Charges
Parker pleaded guilty to four counts of providing false information to obtain Irish passports and one count of possessing a false Irish driving licence.
In court
The case was heard at Cork Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Jonathan Dunphy.
Sentence
Parker was sentenced to three and a half years with the final 15 months suspended for two years, backdated to September 2023.
Other details
  • Parker landed at Shannon Airport in 1988 on his US passport and used the name Ray Travis in Ireland.
  • Parker was deported to the United States in April 2025.
60 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThe accused was charged with falsely applying for two Irish passports in the names of dead infants. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe names used on the applications belonged to two people who died as infants in 1952 and 1953. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatParker applied for passports in the names of two dead babies. (thejournal.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • whatParker applied for a fast-track passport under the name Philip Morris in order to leave the country. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatParker made an application in 2022 from Amsterdam to renew an Irish passport in the name of Geoffrey Warbrook. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatGeoffrey Warbrook had died in 1952 while still an infant. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatPhilip Morris had died in infancy in 1952. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatParker had also obtained an Irish driving licence using the false name of Philip Morris. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatParker landed at Shannon Airport in 1988 using his legitimate US passport in the name of Randolph Kirk Parker. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatHe never used his real name in Ireland, introducing himself and opening bank accounts as Ray Travis. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe arrest took place at the passport office in the South Mall, Cork. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenParker was arrested on 14 September 2023 at the passport office in Cork. (thejournal.ie)
  • whenParker was arrested on 14 September at the passport office in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenParker was arrested when he went to the passport office on 14 September 2023. (irishtimes.com)
  • causeParker said he applied for false passports after encountering visa difficulties in his business activities. (irishtimes.com)
  • causeHis defence said he had come to Europe on business in the late 1980s, had visa difficulties, and was advised by a business associate how to obtain an Irish passport. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationGardaí identified the accused after inquiries with the FBI and fingerprint samples taken from him. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationThe FBI matched the fingerprints to a 1970 arrest record. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationThe accused declined to identify himself when interviewed after his arrest at the Cork Passport Office. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationParker was identified with the assistance of the FBI and the US Embassy. (thejournal.ie)
  • investigationGardaí established that the Philip Morris identity belonged to an Irish-born infant who died in 1952. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationInquiries with Interpol, the US Embassy and other agencies helped identify Parker, who had a US arrest record from 1970. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationParker was identified in 2017 after facial recognition found a match between passports issued to two different names. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationHe had been on remand since his arrest in September 2023. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationParker refused to reveal his real identity when questioned. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe was first charged in September with two offences of providing false information for a passport application between 12 and 25 September 2012. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe was also charged with an offence relating to a passport application made on 7 June 2022. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe was charged in October with a third offence relating to a passport application in the name of Geoffrey Warbrook. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeParker pleaded guilty to four counts of using false information to obtain passports and one count of possessing a false instrument. (thejournal.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • chargeA charge of giving a false name to gardaí after his arrest was struck out. (thejournal.ie)
  • chargeHe was initially charged with two offences relating to false information for the Warbrook passport. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe pleaded guilty to four counts of providing false information to obtain an Irish passport and one count of possessing a false driving licence. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe pleaded guilty to four counts of providing false information to obtain Irish passports in the names of two dead infants. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeHe also faced a fifth charge of possessing an Irish driving licence he knew to be false. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe State sought a four-week remand to continue its investigation and prepare a file for the DPP. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe defence accepted the accused's identity as Randolph Kirk Parker. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe accused consented to a four-week remand in custody. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtJudge Mary Dorgan remanded the accused in custody to appear again at Cork District Court on 5 December. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe case was heard at Cork Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Jonathan Dunphy. (thejournal.ie)
  • courtJudge Jonathan Dunphy said Parker's actions threatened the integrity of the passport system in the State. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtJudge Dunphy identified the time and costs to the State, the breach of trust and Parker's lack of co-operation as aggravating factors. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtJudge Dunphy identified the guilty plea and lack of previous convictions as mitigating factors. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe defence said Parker is a foreign national with no family ties to Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtJudge Jonathan Dunphy said Parker had threatened the integrity of the passport system in the country. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceThe judge said the offences were in the mid range and merited a headline sentence of six years. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge treated the time and cost to the State in recovering Parker's identity, the breach of trust, and his lack of co-operation as aggravating factors. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge treated the guilty plea and lack of previous convictions as mitigating factors. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceParker was jailed for three and a half years, with the final 15 months suspended for two years. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceThe sentence was backdated to September 2023, when Parker first entered custody. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceParker was ordered to keep the peace and be of good behaviour when his sentence ends. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceParker was jailed for 3½ years with the last 15 months suspended. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceHe was jailed for 3½ years with 15 months suspended for applying for passports in the names of two dead babies. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceParker was sentenced to 3½ years in jail with 15 months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in April 2024. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe accused was born on 7 March 1951. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe judge said Parker threatened the integrity of the passport system in Ireland. (thejournal.ie)
  • otherParker was denied bail after the gardaí objected because they did not know who he was. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherHe left Dublin on an afternoon Aer Lingus flight accompanied by gardaí from the Garda National Immigration Bureau. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherHis barrister Brendan Kelly said Parker came to Europe on business in the late 1980s and experienced difficulties with his visa. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherParker graduated with a degree in television and radio from Michigan State University in 1973. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherSolicitor Frank Buttimer said Parker rang him on Thursday to thank him and inform him he was being deported. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 17 Apr2025
    Otheririshtimes.com, follow-up
    US citizen jailed for applying for Irish passports in names of two dead children is deported

    Reports the deportation of Parker to the US on 17 April 2025, including details of how he was caught via facial recognition technology, his arrest at the Cork passport office, and his journey from Cork Prison to Dublin Airport to O'Hare Airport in Chicago.

    convicted, Randolph Kirk Parker, 73, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Randolph Kirk Parker
  2. 4 May2024
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    An American passport fraudster in Ireland: The mysterious life of Randolph Kirk Parker

    Feature on the case of Randolph Kirk Parker, covering his sentence, his background, how his identity was established, and the judge's comments at sentencing.

    convicted, Randolph Kirk Parker, 72, male, American, named, non-irishRandolph Kirk Parker
  3. 22 Apr2024
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    Man (73) jailed for applying for passports in the name of dead infants after facing ‘visa difficulties’

    Reports the sentencing of Randolph Kirk Parker at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, including the sentence, the guilty pleas, the investigation into his identity, and the aggravating and mitigating factors the judge identified.

    convicted, Randolph Kirk Parker, 73, male, American, named, non-irishRandolph Kirk Parker
  4. 22 Apr2024
    Sentencedthejournal.ie, follow-up
    American man (73) who applied for passports in names of deceased babies jailed for 27 months

    Reports the sentencing hearing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court: a 3½-year sentence with the final 15 months suspended, the judge's headline sentence of six years, the aggravating and mitigating factors, backdating to September 2023, and the conditions attached to his release.

    convicted, Randolph Kirk Parker, 73, male, American, named, non-irishRandolph Kirk Parker
  5. 7 Nov2023
    In courtirishtimes.com, first report
    Man (72) charged with falsely applying for Irish passports is identified from FBI fingerprint files

    Identifies the accused as Randolph Kirk Parker through FBI fingerprint records, changes the charge name, and records a four-week remand in custody to 5 December. Adds a third charge from October relating to a 2023 application.

    accused, Randolph Kirk Parker, 72, male, American, named, non-irishRandolph Kirk Parker