New Haven Man Admits Making False Statement During Citizenship Process

NEW HAVEN, CT —Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that Mohamed Najm Kamash, also known as Mohamed Najm Mohamed Ali Kamash, 33, of New Haven, pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to making a false statement in a naturalization proceeding.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, Kamash is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., having immigrated to the U.S. from Iraq in 2014. On August 17, 2021, Kamash appeared in Hartford for a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview about his pending Application for Naturalization, and was placed under oath.

"During the interview with a USCIS agent, Kamash knowingly and falsely stated that he did not know anyone involved with a terrorist organization and that no member of his family was involved with a terrorist organization," the federal prosecutor said.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Kamash faces a range of 0 to 6 months of imprisonment and a fine range of $500 to $ 9,500 and is subject to a supervised release term of one year to three years, per court documents.

Kamash was arrested on a criminal complaint on May 5, 2022. He is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing.

According to the affidavit filed by Stephen Ryczer, an FBI Special Agent, when asked if he has ever "been a member of, or in any way associated (either directly or indirectly) with: A terrorist organization," Kamash cheked "no."

"Based upon information known to me from my review of records and other information collected in this investigation and through my conversations with other law enforcement officers, I believe that KAMASH made material misrepresentations on the Form N- 400, specifically related to family members with whom KAMASH is (or was) associated, who are believed to be (or have been) members of a terror organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al- Sham (ISIS)1. In sum, I believe KAMASH is associated with a terror organization through his family members, specifically through his brothers Ahmed Najm Mohammed Ali Kamash ("AHMED") and Ali Najm Mohammed Ali Kamash ("ALI"), and that that KAMASH, while under oath, denied to USCIS that he was associated with a terror organization in the Form N-400 and during a subsequent oral interview with USCIS."

It was noted by federal prosecutors that the case is about a false statement and not an allegation of, or a terrorism case.