Egyptian man convicted of resisting deportation order
ALEXANDRIA, La. — An Egyptian man with a final order of removal was found guilty Thursday of hampering his removal from the United States, following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana. The investigation leading to this conviction was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Mohamed Admed Hassan Abdallah Omran, 38, of Egypt, was found guilty of two counts of failure to depart for resisting removal after final deportation orders. The defendant’s trial started Wednesday and ended Thursday with the jury returning the guilty verdict after deliberating for 10 minutes.
"Failure to comply with a lawful order to depart the United States undermines the integrity of the immigration system and, in cases such as this one, can impact public safety with disorderly conduct," said Field Office Director David Rivera, ERO New Orleans. "ICE values the working relationship with the US Attorney's Office in the Western District of Louisiana in prosecuting these significant cases – this guilty verdict sends a serious message to individuals considering noncompliance with final orders of removal that they will be held accountable."
Evidence admitted at trial revealed that on two occasions ERO agents attempted to remove Omran from the country via the Alexandria International Airport by putting him on a commercial flight. The defendant hampered agents' ability to remove him by verbally and physically resisting agents on June 12, 2013. The defendant also hampered attempts to put him on a commercial flight at the airport on July 24, 2013.
Omran faces four years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count. Sentencing has been set for May 11, 2015.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael O’Mara and Cytheria D. Jernigan are prosecuting the case.
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