An Iraqi national whose fraud scheme caused the U.S. government to shut down a critical lifeline for Iraqi refugees was sentenced to a little more than three years in prison.
Aws Muwafaq Abduljabbar orchestrated a massive scam that stole hundreds of files from the Iraqi P-2 refugee program, then used the information to coach other applicants.
After authorities discovered the scam, they shut down the program for more than a year, delaying and perhaps altogether preventing some allies who assisted the U.S. from earning a spot in America.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Friday delivered a 37-month sentence to Abduljabbar, who has already been in custody for 20 months and who is likely to be deported at the end of his sentence.