An illegal immigrant from Nigeria admitted yesterday he assumed the identity of a murdered man so he could work at Newark Liberty International Airport — where he was a security supervisor for 20 years.
Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole now faces possible deportation after pleading guilty to using a fake security badge.
He had been charged with identity theft when he was arrested in May but reached a plea bargain on the lesser charge after prosecutors agreed to recommend that he receive probation.
Oyewole had faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted of ID theft. He will be jailed pending sentencing Oct. 19.
The case revealed gaps in employee screening at Newark, one of the nation’s busiest airports.
Oyewole, 54, admitted he was in the country illegally, having entered on a student visa in 1989 and staying after it expired.
“I came in legally,” Oyewole, hands cuffed behind his back, told the court.
Oyewole, of Elizabeth, NJ, admitted he used the identity and identity papers of Jerry Thomas, who was shot to death outside a YMCA in Queens in 1992.
Authorities had said Oyewole assumed Thomas’ identity weeks before he died. Police in New York said Thomas sold his documents — a Social Security card and a birth certificate — to a Nigerian cabdriver, who sold them to Oyewole.
Investigators said they had no evidence tying Oyewole to the death of Thomas, a petty criminal.
Oyewole said he presented Thomas’ documents to airport officials and was hired. He then received ID cards that give airport workers security clearance.
The Port Authority, which operates Newark Airport, said Oyewole most recently worked for a contractor that staffs access gates.
Officials said there was no evidence he faked his ID for any reason other than to live in the United States.
He supervised about 30 guards and had access to secure areas of the airport, authorities said, and had a clean record.
However, after his arrest, his bail was set at $250,000 because investigators said he may also have used other aliases.
“We simply do not know who this gentleman is,” Deputy Attorney General Vincent Militello said.
PA officials were alerted to Oyewole after receiving an anonymous letter claiming he had used multiple identifies over the years.