Vallmoe Shqaire, 51, of Downey, admitted to carrying out a terrorist bombing attempt in Israel under orders from the Palestinian Liberation Organization — and then lied his way into U.S. citizenship, concealing his violent past. Today, he was sentenced to nine months in federal prison and stripped of his American citizenship, paving the way for his deportation to Jordan.
Shqaire admitted in court that he detonated a roadside bomb in Israel targeting a civilian bus — a failed attack orchestrated at the direction of a known terrorist organization. Convicted in Israel on multiple violent felonies, including the bombing attempt and assaults on individuals suspected of cooperating with Israeli authorities, Shqaire hid his record when applying for U.S. citizenship through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
During his naturalization process, Shqaire swore under oath that he had never been arrested, convicted, or sentenced for any crime, and denied ever belonging to any organization. Israeli court records directly contradict those statements, proving Shqaire was arrested twice in the late 1980s and early 1990s, convicted of violent crimes, and served prison time abroad — all concealed from U.S. officials.
“By repeatedly lying to USCIS Officers, defendant sought to conceal his extensive and violent criminal history in Israel and attacked the immigration safeguards that are in place to protect persons like the defendant from entering our country,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. The deception didn’t end with citizenship — after being naturalized, Shqaire was convicted in a credit card fraud scheme and served state prison time, again lying to law enforcement to downplay his past.
United States District Judge John F. Walter handed down the nine-month sentence and issued an order for Shqaire to be removed to Jordan upon release from custody. The denaturalization marks a rare but significant enforcement action by federal authorities targeting individuals who exploit the immigration system after engaging in international terrorism-related activities.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Annamartine Salick of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section and Robyn K. Bacon of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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