Man Gets 5 Yrs in Prison for Lying to USCIS Agents on Naturalization Application

A 45-year-old Lebanese-born man will be spending the next five (5) years in a U.S. prison for reportedly lying to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agents while applying for American citizenship.

Facts of the Case

According to a recent USCIS announcement regarding this case, the man was charged with making a false statement to a federal agent and unlawfully attempting to obtain U.S. citizenship.

During the man’s trial, the jury heard evidence that the man, who had come to the U.S. after marrying a U.S. Army soldier, had failed to disclose that:

• He had been a member of the Amal militia during the 1980s (to USCIS in January 2009 when applying for naturalization).
• He had been held as a prisoner of war by Israel (to the U.S. Department of Defense when seeking employment requiring top security clearance). In fact, some of his relatives had even testified during his trial that the man had made statements that he had killed an Israeli pilot captured by Hezbollah as retaliation for being held as a prisoner of war.

Additionally, the prosecutors in this case – Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Roomberg and Jay Hulings – presented evidence that, in 2009 when the man was applying for U.S. citizenship, he had lied to USCIS officers in stating that he was living with his wife. In fact, at the time, the man and his spouse were estranged and were in the process of getting divorced.

Ultimately, the jury found the man guilty on both charges. The judge sentenced the man to 5 years on each count, with the sentences set to run concurrently.

While this is certainly an extreme case of lying when applying for U.S. citizenship, it does, nevertheless, reveal how important it is for applicants to disclose the complete truth about themselves to USCIS whenever they are seeking a change in their immigration status.

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Our firm offers state-of-the art technology to deliver these services efficiently while also providing each of our clients with old-fashioned personal service. That means you can count on your case progressing as quickly as possible while feeling confident that your Hanlon Law Group lawyer will answer your questions quickly, clearly and honestly.