Man Admits Using Alias for Immigration Status

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated today that Sohail Feroz Ali Dossani, a/k/a Sohail Muhammad Jamal, age 29, a Pakistani national located in Florence, pled guilty to filing false statements to gain entry and citizenship, a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1306(c). United States Magistrate Judge Thomas E. Rogers, III, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on June 12, 2008, an individual alerted authorities that he had found two Pakistani passports bearing photographs of the same individual but with different names. The resulting investigation revealed that Dossani was a Pakistani citizen when he entered the United States using the assumed name of Sohail Jamal. He also used the name Jamal to obtain his permanent residency in the United States and attempted to become a naturalized citizen using the false name by filling out and submitting immigration applications to the Citizenship and Immigration Services. Dossani admitted to using the false name during his October 2008 naturalization interview.

Mr. Wilkins stated the maximum penalty can receive is a fine of $1,000.00 and imprisonment for 6 months.

The case was investigated by the FBI, SLED, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, and agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II, of the Florence office handled the case.