Iraqi Woman Sentenced for Lying to Federal Officers

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Israa Sultan, age 44, of New York, New York, was sentenced today to time served (approximately 141 days in jail) for making a false statement to federal authorities.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Port Director Timothy Walker of the Alexandria Bay Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), made the announcement.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a $5,000 fine and 1 year of supervised release, and she ordered Sultan to reimburse the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the cost of her defense. 

Sultan—an Iraqi national lawfully admitted into the United States in 2007—attempted to cross from New York into Canada using another woman’s United States passport.  Canadian authorities refused to grant entry to Sultan, and they turned her over to CBP.  Sultan falsely told a CBP Officer that she was the person depicted in the passport.  When CBP searched Sultan, they recovered approximately 20 grams of cocaine hidden within her shoes.  Sultan subsequently brought cocaine into a federal courthouse during a hearing in this case. 

CBP investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted.