LOUISVILLE, KY—An Iraqi refugee living in Jefferson County, Kentucky was found guilty this week in U.S. District Court of falsely procuring U.S. citizenship, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.

Following a two day trial, a federal jury deliberated just over one hour before finding Ali Al-Kadumi, 45, guilty of the charge. Following the verdict, defendant Al-Kadumi was denaturalized and then detained pending sentencing by Judge Greg N. Stivers, who presided over the trial.

Al-Kadumi was charged in a federal indictment on January 22, 2014. According to the indictment and his testimony in court, Al-Kadumi concealed his identity when he falsely stated his current legal name was “Hussein Naji Selman” on his 2008 Application for Naturalization. In reality, Hussein Naji Selman was and still is another person currently living in Iraq. Also, within his Application for Naturalization, Al-Kadumi stated he had never committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested; however, Al-Kadumi had committed a crime when he falsely used the identity and background of Hussein Naji Selman on his Legal Permanent Residency Application in 2002, which was sworn to under penalty of perjury. Finally, Al-Kadumi falsely stated on his Application for Naturalization that he had never lied to a U.S. official in order to gain entry into the United States. Al-Kadumi had actually used the same stolen identity in 1998 in order to gain entry into the United States as a refugee.

In June of 1998, Al-Kadumi applied for entrance into the United States as a refugee. He was interviewed by a U.S. immigration official in Damascus, Syria and then completed and signed his refugee application using the stolen identity. At the time, Al-Kadumi stated he had a brother living in Louisville, Kentucky, who was actually Selman’s brother. After moving to Louisville, Kentucky in 1998 as a refugee from Iraq, Al-Kadumi became a Legal Permanent Resident in 2002 and then become a naturalized U.S. citizen on June 26, 2008. After receiving his U.S. citizenship, Al-Kadumi immediately requested that his name be changed from Hussein Naji Selman, his assumed name, to Ali Sabeeh Alkadumi, his real name. The FBI discovered Al-Kadumi’s crimes during an investigation in 2013. After being interviewed by the FBI, Al-Kadumi admitted to using the stolen identity of Selman.

A sentencing date has not yet been set for Mr. Al-Kadumi. He faces a sentence of up to but no more than ten years in prison and a three year period of supervised release.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nute A. Bonner and Bryan R. Calhoun and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).