'Kind, sweet' woman faces deportation to Australia (Times and Democrat)

'Kind, sweet' woman faces deportation to Australia
By LEE TANT, T&D Staff Writer Tuesday, September 08, 2009

The distance between Adelaide, Australia and Bamberg, S.C., spans thousands of miles, the Pacific Ocean and the continental United States.

It's a distance that Janette Harris thinks about frequently these days.

More than 16 years ago, Harris faced charges of social security fraud in her home country of Australia.

"I was to appear in court on charges in March (of 1993). I panicked and I just left the country without thinking what it could mean," Harris said.

She's been living in Bamberg under an assumed identity ever since.

Harris' real name is actually Ann Marcia Casey. Before fleeing Australia, she stole the passport of a British woman named Janette Irene Webster. Documents from the U.S. District Court say Webster and Harris bear a striking resemblance to each other.

But that's not the only striking fact about the situation.

"Janette is my best friend. I picked the passport up off her coffee table," Harris said. "I'm the godmother of her twins. We've been friends since maybe 1985. She's my best friend."

Harris said she and Webster still speak to this day. Harris wouldn't comment on whether Webster knew she was illegally using her identity.

Six months after arriving in America, Harris married Michael Emmanuel Harris of Bamberg.

Harris said her husband knew some details of her past but not everything.

In March 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, after investigating a tip from the Australian Federal Police, discovered Harris was using her best friend's identity in America.

Harris received a knock on her door at 6:30 in the morning from federal immigration officials.

"I didn't know who it was to start with and then I realized what this was and I just answered their questions and gave them what they wanted," she said.

The unexpected visit naturally left Harris nervous about her future.

In August, Harris pleaded guilty to misuse of a social security number and unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization.

Her attorney, James P. Rogers of Columbia, says Harris will likely be denaturalized and deported back to Australia depending on the sentence she receives in America. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charges.

Messages left with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Columbia seeking comment weren't immediately returned.

Since crossing the Pacific 16 years ago, Harris has obtained a S.C. driver's license and a U.S. social security number, court documents say. In 2004, she was naturalized as a U.S. citizen.

Harris hopes she will be allowed to stay in America, although she realizes that's not likely. She will face the fraud charges in Australia if and when she returns.

"I've done right since I've been here. I came with illegal documentation. I love my family. I love my children. I love my country and given the choice I would stay, but I might not have that choice," she said.

She has two children and three grandchildren living in America. She also has a daughter living in Australia.

Those in Bamberg who have gotten to know Harris say she is anything but a troublemaker.

One family really hopes she gets to stay.

Harris went to school to become a certified nursing assistant a few years after fleeing Australia. Harris is currently the caregiver for Roger McCully, a Bamberg man who has contracted Alzheimer's.

McCully's wife, Mary, said she knew Harris by the first name Ann. McCully said Harris is very dedicated to her husband and brings a cheerful attitude.

"I was heartbroken, just absolutely heartbroken. My poor husband was too. He said no, you tell them you want to stay here. You need to stay here. When it was time for her to go home after work, he'd want her to stay," McCully said.

McCully characterizes Harris as a taxpaying citizen, a highly professional caretaker and a woman who cares for her grandchildren.

"I'm just hoping they let her stay. So many people are here illegally and yet they got a hold of her and all of sudden she's fair game. That doesn't make sense," McCully said.

Roger McCully's son, Brab, echoed his stepmother's comments on Harris.

"Every time I saw Ann, she was dealing with my father; she was excellent," said Brab McCully, who described Harris as a cordial, gentle person.

He said news of Harris' impropriety was a big shock to the family, saying she was the last person he'd expect to be involved in something like that.

Harris was also served on the board of the Bamberg County First Steps program, a statewide initiative designed to ensure students are healthy and academically ready for the first grade.

"She was very kind, sweet and soft-spoken person," said Pauletta Plowden, executive director of the Bamberg County First Steps program.

Plowden said Harris would often read stories to children and help with fundraising events. She says she is praying that Harris will be able to stay in America.

"She never gave anyone trouble. You would never suspect her of anything," Bamberg County Sheriff's Office Major George Folk said.

Folk describes Harris as a self-sufficient person who was always employed.

Before coming stateside, she went through a divorce in Australia and several names changes.

According to court documents, she was born as Marcia Driscoll Coventry. She married Robert James Bignell in September 1968. During the marriage, she later changed her name to Ann Peacock. When she divorced Bignell a decade later, she switched her names again to Ann Marcia Casey.

"It was all completely legal. It wasn't changed to defraud or for any illegal reason," Harris said of the name changes.

In 1993, she fled Australia without being photographed or fingerprinted by authorities on the fraud charges.

She arrived in Los Angeles alone with only $800.

"I had to live on that and buy food. That's doesn't last long," she said.

She said she was nervous going through airport security checks and U.S. Customs and Immigration protocols. The next two years, Harris was worried she would be caught.

"The thought was always there," she said.

Harris came to South Carolina hoping to find friends she'd met during previous trips to Bamberg and Orangeburg. However, Harris was unable to locate them.

"It was a time when I didn't have a roof over my head, times when I didn't eat for weeks," Harris said.

In October of 1993, she got married. Harris said her husband, Michael, has been very supportive since her arrest.

In 1995, Harris got her CNA credential by taking courses through the Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Barnwell Community Action Agency. She's worked at the Bamberg Hospital and Nursing Center, the South Carolina Heart Center and as a caregiver.

"Well, it's certainly been easier the last six years. It become much easier in 1996 when I got my first job because I had an income and met friends," Harris said.

Harris also went to church regularly and she says her faith in God has grown. While her job as a caregiver keeps her from church on Sundays, she still reads the Bible, prays and watches church services on television.

These days, she is praying courts both local and foreign will show her mercy.

"I think this process has renewed my faith," Harris said.

Harris declined to get into the details of her legal issues. She did say some in the Bamberg community would submit letters to the U.S. District Court to show support.

A letter from Mary McCully in support of Harris will likely find its way onto a judge's desk.

"We talk a big game about wanting to keep families united and here is a woman that needs to stay united with those grandchildren. She needs to stay here. I'm just hoping they'll decide she is a worthwhile person and will be allowed to stay because she is a good person," McCully said.

If McCully's worst fears come to fruition and Harris is deported, Harris said she would like to pay her own way back to Australia.

Either way, Harris says she will accept her fate.

"I think life in Australia is easier than in America, but I've made my life here and this is my life. ... I would be in Australia doing the same type of work, looking after people. Lives continue on no matter where you are.

"I just leave it in God's hands," she said.