United States of America v. Darrell Murphy

Bangor, Maine, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with failing to comply with sex offender reporting requirements, failing to present at a designated border crossing, and violating federal supervised release.

in 2021, Darrell Murphy, 42, was convicted in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina of two counts of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. He was sentenced to 52 months in prison and 25 years of supervised release. Among his conditions of supervised release was the requirement that he comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Under SORNA, a registered sex offender must provide his local registration authority with advance notice of his intent to travel internationally. Murphy was registered with the Carroll County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Department.

On December 31, 2025, Canadian authorities advised U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) that a man (subsequently identified as Murphy) had illegally entered Canada by walking across a train trestle in Vanceboro. Canadian law enforcement officers responded to the area but did not apprehend the man. USBP agents immediately responded to the U.S. side of the bridge and found a set of tracks in the snow leading to the parking lot of the Vanceboro post office and a vehicle bearing Ohio plates.

Shortly before 5:00 a.m. on January 5, 2026, USBP was alerted that the same man had returned to the U.S. from Canada by walking back across the bridge. A USBP agent responded to the parking lot and observed Murphy walking towards the Ohio-plated vehicle. When encountered by the agent, Murphy admitted to crossing into Canada days earlier and then returning in the same manner.

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) confirmed that Murphy had not notified the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department of his intention to travel to Canada.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty. For the SORNA violation, Murphy faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. For the failure to present violation, he faces up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. For the supervised release violation, he faces a consecutive prison term of up to three years.