October 19, 2004
SIX CHICAGO AREA MEN CHARGED
IN FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT INVESTIGATION
Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Ellissa A. Brown, Special Agent in
Charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Bureau announced
today the arrest of four men from the Chicago area on charges stemming from a
three year investigation into the fraudulent procurement of various identification
documents, to include Social Security cards and Illinois driver's licenses. Two
other men remain at large and are considered fugitives from justice.
Those arrested are identified as NASER KAWASH, age 38, of 5605
West Grace in Chicago, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent;
ATHER ISRAEL, age 40, of 8564 West Lawrence in Norridge, who is an Iraqi
national; SAFWAT AHMED, age 33, of 2521 West Berwyn in Chicago, who is a
naturalized U.S. citizen of Kuwaiti descent; and EMAD KAWASH, age 41, of
8445 West Bryn Mawr in Chicago, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Jordanian
descent. MOUSTAFA MOHAMED, age 34, of 4005 West Lawrence in Chicago,
who is an Egyptian national and JAMAL CHARAFI, age 31, whose last known
address was 5315 North Clark Street in Chicago, who is a Moroccan national,
were also charged and remain at large .
Those arrested were charged in a criminal complaint filed yesterday
in U.S. District Court in Chicago with numerous counts of wire, mail, visa and
document fraud, all of which are felony offenses. According to the complaint,
NASER KAWASH oversaw a Chicago based operation which is alleged to have
assisted as many as 900 individuals, all foreign nationals, in obtaining numerous
identification documents between 1999 and December of 2001. This operation is
believed to have collected thousands of dollars in payments from the individuals
whom they assisted.
This investigation was conducted by the Chicago FBI's Joint
Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is comprised of agents, officers and
investigators from 16 federal, state and local agencies. Invaluable assistance was
also provided by the Illinois Secretary of State's Office of Inspector general and
the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General.
All of those arrested are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate
Judge Arlander Keys, later today, at which time they will be formally charged. If
convicted of the charges filed against them, those arrested face possible sentences
of five to 20 years incarceration.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and
that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in
a court of law.
EDITOR's NOTE: A copy of the complaint filed in this case will
be available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645.
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