Eritrean National Sentenced for Visa Fraud

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Mohammed Nurey Ibrahim, age 41, an Eritrean national and resident of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was sentenced today to time served (about 4 months in jail) for presenting a fraudulently obtained visa to a United States Border Patrol Agent in Champlain, New York

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Acting Director Christian J. Schurman of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.

As part of his July 18, 2017 guilty plea, Ibrahim admitted that he fraudulently obtained a United States non-immigrant tourist visa in September 2016 from a United States consulate in Saudi Arabia. On January 5, 2017, he presented that visa to a Border Patrol Agent in Champlain as he attempted to illegally cross the border in order to claim asylum in Canada.

Following sentencing, Ibrahim was remanded to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security, for removal proceedings.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Horsman.