Rochester Man Sentenced to Probation for Making False Statements on Naturalization Application

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Tuffek Mohammed Ali Saleh, 41, a citizen and national of Yemen, who was convicted of making a false statement on an immigration document, was sentenced to 1 year probation by U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, handled the case, stated that in April 2012, the defendant applied for U.S. Citizenship under the name Yehya Muthana Ali. During the processing of Saleh's application, it was determined that the defendant had previously applied to enter the United States using a different identity, including a different name and date of birth.

During the investigation, officials from the Department of Homeland Security conducted an immigration interview with the defendant. During this interview, the defendant was again asked several times about his identity, and he repeatedly denied ever using another name to try to enter the United States.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Mark Koss, and the United States Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, under the direction of Resident Special Agent in Charge, Andrew Wright.