Refugee Brothers Face Fraud Charges for Citizenship Scheme

ALLEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Iraqi refugee brothers from Northern Virginia are facing charges of immigration fraud for their alleged involvement in a citizenship scheme.

The defendants, Yousif Al Mashhandani, 35, and Adil Hasan, 38, both of Vienna, were arrested this morning, along with Enas Ibrahim, 32, the wife of Adil. The trio is accused of attempting to obtain naturalization contrary to law.

According to court documents, Yousif was admitted into the U.S. as a refugee in 2008 and applied for citizenship in 2013. FBI analysis revealed his fingerprints matched those found at an underground bunker where a hostage was held in Iraq. The brothers omitted mentioning their brother Majid, who was detained for complicity in the kidnapping of an American citizen in 2005.

FBI agents were told that Yousif, Adil, and Enas failed to list Majid on their immigration applications due to fears it would delay their refugee status. They claim to have faced threats from militia groups in Iraq while working as anti-corruption investigators.

The defendants’ initial appearance is set for today at 2 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.

Hasan admitted to FBI agents that he was kidnapped and tortured but did not mention his kidnapping during sworn testimony provided earlier.