US citizen Randolph Kirk Parker deported after being jailed for false Irish passports in names of dead children
Randolph Kirk Parker, a 73-year-old US citizen, was deported to the United States on 17 April 2025 after being jailed for applying for Irish passports in the names of two infants who had died in 1952. Parker, who had lived in Ireland since 1988 under the name Ray Travis, was arrested at the Cork passport office in September 2023 after being identified through facial recognition technology. He pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to four counts of providing false information to obtain Irish passports and a fifth charge of possessing a false Irish driving licence, and was sentenced in April 2024 to three and a half years in jail with 15 months suspended. He was released from Cork Prison on 17 April 2025 and flown from Dublin to O'Hare Airport in Chicago, accompanied by gardaí from the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
- Reported
- Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Parker applied for Irish passports using the names of two infants, Geoffrey Warbrook and Philip Morris, both of whom had died in 1952.
- Parker also obtained a driving licence in the false name of Philip Morris.
- Parker landed at Shannon Airport in 1988 on his US passport and lived in Ireland under the name Ray Travis, never using his real name.
- Investigation
- Parker was arrested at the Cork passport office in September 2023 after being identified through facial recognition technology and was held on remand.
- Parker refused to reveal his real identity when questioned.
- Charges
- Parker pleaded guilty to four counts of providing false information to obtain Irish passports and a fifth charge of possessing a driving licence he knew to be false.
- In court
- Parker was sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in April 2024.
- Sentence
- Parker was sentenced to three and a half years in jail with 15 months suspended.
- Other details
- Parker was deported on 17 April 2025 on an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to O'Hare Airport in Chicago, accompanied by gardaí from the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
- His barrister Brendan Kelly said Parker came to Europe on business in the late 1980s and experienced difficulties with his visa.
14 statements extracted from the articles
- 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)
- 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 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)
- sentenceParker was sentenced to 3½ years in jail with 15 months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in April 2024. (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- 17 Apr2025US 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