BUFFALO — Liban Mumin Afrah, 42, of Ontario, Canada, who was convicted of possessing a visa secured by fraud, was sentenced to time served and a fine of $2,000 by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque, who handled the case, stated that in 1996, the defendant, a Canadian citizen originally from Somalia, entered the United States from Canada and applied for asylum under the alias Ali Hussein Ali. Afrah claimed that he feared he would be harmed if he returned to Somalia because he is a member of the minority Reer Hamar tribe. At the time of the fraudulent asylum application, the defendant had already been granted asylum by Canada under his real identity and was residing in Canada. Afrah was granted a green card by the United States under the false identity Ali H. Ali and traveled between the United States and Canada using both his Canadian passport under his real identity and his fraudulently obtained United States green card. The defendant most recently renewed his green card under his fake name in June 2015.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation United States Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
