Man sentenced for forging entry papers at Lansdowne border

(Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston, File)

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:05 p.m. to show Buttermore is a United States resident.

LANSDOWNE – A man who attempted to cross the Canada-U.S. border at Lansdowne last summer with forged work documents has been given a conditional discharge.

Lyell Buttermore, a U.S. resident, tried to cross into Ontario in late June 2020 under an essential work claim.

But border officers discovered inaccuracies in his paperwork and found out later that Buttermore had forged the document in order to see his girlfriend.

Buttermore pleaded guilty to immigration misrepresentation in a Brockville court on Dec. 8 and was given a conditional discharge with one year probation. A conditional discharge means he won’t have a criminal record and the conditional sentence will be cleared from his record after three years.

Buttermore also has to make a $2,000 donation to the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health Services.

Since March 2020, the border has been closed to non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.