The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a warning to citizenship applicants: “If you lie on your citizenship application, we will find out.” The agency’s message comes in the wake of a federal indictment against Gafur Abdudzhamilovich Aliev, a 44-year-old resident of Edison, New Jersey, who is accused of falsifying his naturalization application to hide his alleged ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney John Giordano on March 28, 2025.
According to a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of New Jersey, Aliev faces charges of making a false statement on his naturalization application and perjury. The allegations stem from his activities between January 2018 and January 2020, during which he reportedly acted as a moderator or member of encrypted social media channels targeting ISIS members, supporters, and potential recruits.
In conversations with an individual identified only as “Individual-1,” Aliev allegedly admitted on August 7, 2020, that he had previously sent money to ISIS to purchase weapons. On August 16, 2020, he further justified such contributions, claiming that even small amounts—ranging from $100 to $400—were “ok” to support the group. By September 28, 2020, Aliev emphasized to Individual-1 that jihad required both physical and financial backing, stating that without money for equipment, such efforts could not succeed.
Despite this alleged involvement, Aliev submitted a naturalization application to USCIS on December 26, 2020. Under penalty of perjury, he falsely declared that he had never been associated with a terrorist organization—a claim that federal authorities assert was a calculated lie to gain U.S. citizenship. USCIS, in a pointed social media post, highlighted the case, stating, “Gafur Aliev allegedly financed weapons to conduct jihad and lied about his association with ISIS. Not on our watch!” The agency credited its collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for bringing this “national security threat to justice.”
The indictment, detailed in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, reveals the extent of the investigation that led to Aliev’s charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statement charge, plus an additional five years and a $250,000 fine for perjury—a potential total of 15 years behind bars. Aliev made his initial appearance via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor on the afternoon of March 28, 2025, marking the beginning of a high-stakes legal process.
The investigation was a multi-agency effort, with U.S. Attorney Giordano praising the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, and deportation officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, under Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. Local partners, including the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, led by Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, and the Edison Police Department, under Chief Thomas Bryan, also contributed to the probe.
The prosecution is being handled by Joyce M. Malliet, Chief of the USAO’s National Security Unit, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division. Aliev is represented by defense attorneys Naz Ahmad, Esq., and Linda Foster, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Esq. As of now, the charges against Aliev remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
