Mark Wittig

ILHAN OMAR: HOW PASSPORT FRAUD MAY BE ANOTHER AVENUE FOR PROSECUTION Seasoned federal investigators know passport fraud may be another path to criminal charges. 18 U.S.C. § 1542 (False Statement in Application) - Prohibits making any false statement in a passport application, using a passport obtained via false statements, or using a passport with an assumed/false name to hide criminal behavior The 10-year statute of limitations on passport fraud is reset every time the individual renews their passport if the underlying application records, such as a Social Security Number, were obtained through fraud. For example, the suspect lied about the true date and place of their birth to obtain a social security number. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: AMERICAN TERRORIST This legal strategy was used to obtain a holding charge for the American terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki after 9/11. Anwar al-Awlaki was a dual U.S.-Yemeni citizen. The radical cleric, who became a top al Qaeda leader, was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where his parents lived at the time. He later grew up in Yemen. When it was time for college, Awlaki gamed the system. He applied for tuition assistance through the State Department and USAID to finance his studies at Colorado State University. Awlaki was not eligible for financial support as a U.S. citizen, so he used his Yemeni passport (and false claims about his birthplace) to secure roughly $20,000 in scholarship money. It was the beginning of the big grift. When the Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated Awlaki after 9/11 for his relationship and material support of hijackers in San Diego and Virginia, a seasoned federal investigator ran down the scholarship scam. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations had run out on the USAID tuition fraud.  A State Department Diplomatic Security Agent then discovered Awlaki made false statements to secure a J-1 visa (a non-immigrant visa for educational purposes.) Once in the U.S., Awlaki applied for a Social Security Number, falsely claiming he was born in Yemen. Awlaki used the fraudulently obtained Social Security Number to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport. The 10-year statute of limitations reset every time the American terrorist renewed his passport. USAID record via @browne_pamela