BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Russian woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to resisting a federal immigration officer back in early October 2024.
Officials say that Olesia Sumina, 43, of Russia, traveled to Canada with her two children to file an immigration asylum claim.
Her immigration claim was rejected by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), who then transported her to the U.S. border at the Peace Bridge Point of Entry.
According to authorities, during the transport, Sumina became difficult to manage and was reported to have spit inside the CBSA vehicle.
Upon arrival at the U.S. border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were informed of her disruptive behavior. CBP officers then attempted to interview Sumina using a language translation app, but their efforts were unsuccessful due to her lack of cooperation.
Sumina then refused to provide basic personal information and resisted the officers' attempts to access her phone by grabbing it and placing it quickly in her pocket.
As they attempted to regain access, Sumina again became increasingly aggressive, resisting multiple commands from the officers.
She was sentenced Tuesday by a U.S. Magistrate Judge to time served.
