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.”