Rasmieh Yousef Odeh, Naturalization Fraud, Michigan 2017

A Chicago-area resident who was convicted overseas of being a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization, and participating in two bombings in Jerusalem, Israel, pleaded guilty to lying to obtain U.S. citizenship.

Rasmieh Yousef Odeh, 69, was convicted of participating in the bombings at a Supersol supermarket and the British Consulate in 1969. Two individuals were killed and many more were wounded in the supermarket bombing.

Odeh was arrested and charged with participation in the bombings and was convicted in 1970. She was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released in 1979 after ten years’ imprisonment as part of a prisoner exchange.

Odeh obtained a United States immigrant visa in 1994 and has lived in the United States for the last 22 years. In 2004, she obtained United States citizenship. However, she lied about her criminal history on her naturalization application, falsely denying that she had ever been arrested, charged with a crime, convicted, or imprisoned.

Odeh admitted to lying about her past and knew that it was unlawful to provide false information to the United States government. She faces a maximum sentence of ten years, but under the terms of the plea agreement, she will not face additional imprisonment but will be removed from the United States following sentencing.

Odeh will be stripped of her United States citizenship and deported to Jordan, her nation of citizenship, under a judicial order of removal. Sentencing is set for August 17, 2017, at 2pm.

Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch commended Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and Special Agent Stephen A. Webber for their outstanding investigation that led to Odeh’s conviction.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Rasmieh Yousef Odeh, 69, Chicago-area resident. Crime: Naturalization Fraud. City and State: Detroit, Michigan. Exact Date: August 17, 2017. Sentence: Stripped of United States citizenship and deported to Jordan. Defendant Full Name: Rasmieh Yousef Odeh. Criminal Charges: Lying to obtain U.S. citizenship. City and State: Detroit, Michigan. Exact Date: August 17, 2017.

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