Jordanian
Pilot Deported for Marriage Fraud, FAA Lies
CHICAGO, Ill.(ICE) — ICE deported a 24-year-old pilot who married
a United States citizen to evade immigration laws and lied on
multiple Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot applications
that he was a U.S. citizen.
Sami Abuhamatto,
a citizen of Jordan, was deported December 16. He had been convicted
in federal court on four counts of lying on various FAA applications
to become a certified commercial pilot and flight instructor.
He was also
convicted for committing marriage fraud by paying a U.S. citizen
$1,500 to marry him so he could fraudulently apply for permanent
residency in the United States.
ICE special
agents arrested Abuhamatto in July and charged him with making
false statements about being born in the United States and falsely
claiming U.S. citizenship on three applications he submitted to
the FAA in 2001 and 2002. Abuhamatto signed his FAA applications
stating the information included in the applications was true,
but it was not. “Lying about U.S. citizenship on an FAA
application is a serious issue, especially in light of the 9/11
hijackings and terrorist attacks,” said Special Agent-in-Charge
Elissa A. Brown, who leads ICE in Chicago. “ICE agents work
diligently to uncover and halt criminal activity that poses a
threat to national security.”