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Tucson Couple Arrested After Indictment For Immigration Fraud

A couple living in Tucson has been accused of lying to the U.S. government in order to gain refugee status and get green cards.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona says Mohamed Abdirahman Osman and Zeinab Abdirahman Mohamed lied about Osman’s real name, where he is from and whether he had ever been part of a terrorist group.

They now face a combined total of 11 charges related to immigration fraud.

According to the grand jury indictment, Osman claimed to be from Somalia, but is actually from Ethiopia. The indictment also alleges that Osman was recruited by the group al-Shabaab, which the U.S. labeled a terrorist organization in 2008.

Federal officials say the couple was granted refugee status in 2014, and applied for green cards the next year. The couple has been living in Tucson since coming to the U.S. They were arrested on Friday.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.