A 28-year-old Venezuelan national, Rene Calabo, has been fined $100,000 or sentenced to three months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to presenting a forged birth certificate in an attempt to obtain Guyanese citizenship by descent.
The matter was heard at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
It is alleged that on March 19, 2026, at Robb Street, Georgetown, Calabo knowingly presented a forged Republic of Venezuela birth certificate to the General Register Office (GRO), intending to mislead authorities into granting him citizenship documents. In the document submitted, he allegedly identified himself as “Rene Jose Delmont Sutton”—a name different from his true identity, Rene Calabo. The certificate also falsely claimed that his mother was a Guyanese national born in Guyana.
Calabo appeared in court with the assistance of a Spanish interpreter due to language barriers. He later pleaded guilty to the offence.
The court heard that he had applied for Guyanese citizenship on the basis that a Guyanese woman, Tessa Elethea Sutton, was his biological mother. However, investigations revealed this claim to be false. Authorities contacted Sutton, who denied being his biological mother or having any familial connection to him.
Further verification was carried out with the Venezuelan Embassy, which assisted in reviewing his original birth records. Those records contradicted the information contained in the document presented to immigration authorities.
Prosecutors told the court that Calabo admitted the woman’s identity had been used to support his citizenship application and that she was not his biological mother. He also reportedly stated that he had contacted an unknown individual who arranged the forged documents on his behalf.
During the hearing, the magistrate questioned how the fraudulent documents were obtained. Calabo told the court that he had asked someone to arrange the paperwork, which was then provided to him.
The court also heard that he is a taxi driver residing at 140 6th Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, and that he held an expired work permit.
After reviewing the evidence and guilty plea, the magistrate convicted Calabo of uttering a forged document with intent to defraud. He was fined $100,000 or sentenced to three months’ imprisonment in default of payment.
