NEWARK, N.J. – An Afghani citizen and United States Lawful Permanent Resident was indicted today by a federal grand jury for his role in a scheme to smuggle undocumented aliens from Afghanistan to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, and Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael of HSI Newark, made the announcement.
Officials say Mr. Rahman Saify, 32, is an Afghanistan national who received a Special Immigrant Visa and became a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident in 2009, after serving as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Officials say sonce 2009, Saify has resided in New York and Newark. Saify was charged in the District of New Jersey with conspiracy to smuggle aliens to the United States, encouraging and inducing alien smuggling, and attempting to bring aliens to the United States.
If convicted, Saify faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as forfeiture.
According to the indictment, between July 2016 through February 2017, Saify conspired with members of an Afghanistan and Pakistan-based smuggling network to smuggle two Afghanistan nationals to the United States.
The Afghanistan nationals did not have prior authorization to enter the United States and one had been denied a U.S. visa.
The indictment alleges that Saify made contact with the aliens and arranged meetings with the co-conspirators to discuss smuggling arrangements.
Further, according to the indictment, Saify received payment, gave instructions to the aliens to facilitate the smuggling venture, and he used email and phone communications to facilitate and coordinate the criminal operation.