Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 15

Virginia Man Who Lied About Ties to Terror Pleads Guilty

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Virginia man investigated by ICE and FBI agents assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force has pleaded guilty to lying on his application for United States citizenship.

Maher Amin Jaradat, a 43-year-old Israeli-born Palestinian and naturalized U.S. citizen, entered a guilty plea July 14 to fraudulently procuring U.S. citizenship.

Jaradat submitted an application for U.S. citizenship with immigration authorities in March 1995, and in June 1995 appeared before immigration authorities where he swore under oath that the contents of the application were true, even though he knew the application contained false statements.

He also failed to disclose that he had been a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) for 16 months beginning in 1980; that he had also studied bomb-making and the use of small arms at a training camp in Syria run by DFLP, an organization involved in terrorist activities; and that he had engaged in security duties in Lebanon. Jaradat also did not disclose that, beginning in 1981, he had also been a member of al-Fatah, an organization responsible for numerous terrorist attacks and airplane hijackings.

In addition, Jaradat falsely claimed that he had never been arrested, cited, charged, indicted, convicted, fined or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance, when in fact, he had been arrested for assault and battery in the city of Alexandria, Va. in 1990.

“U.S. citizenship is a privilege. Those who attempt to gain it through fraud, especially by concealing their affiliation with violent militant groups, will be pursued vigorously by ICE,” said ICE Washington, D.C. Special Agent-in-Charge Allan J. Doody.

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

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