Lul Noor Abdi, age 42, of Salt Lake City, is charged with making false statements to FBI special agents and task force officers in a two-count indictment unsealed Friday morning.
The indictment alleges Abdi made false and fictitious material statements and representations to the agents and officers. The indictment alleges she told them that she had taken her son to live in Uganda when, as the government contends, she had taken her son to live in Somalia.
The indictment also alleges Abdi told agents and officers that she was supporting her son by sending money to a named individual in Uganda on her son’s behalf when, the government argues, she was sending money to that named individual in Somalia.
The government may have manipulated Abdi into making these alleged false statements. The FBI agents probably arrived at Abdi’s home, did not tell her that she, or her son, were under investigation, and began asking questions. Once Abdi gave information that the agents regard as false, they had the legal right to indict her for making material false statements to the government. Now that the government has indicted her on these charges, they will use it as leverage when attempting to elicit additional information in regards to her son’s whereabouts.
It is a form of trickery against an individual, and the government uses this tactic whenever they are conducting an investigation. It is critical to remember that an individual, when confronted with questions from federal agents, should not answer their questions and seek legal representation immediately.
Abdi was arrested last Thursday. She entered not guilty pleas to the charges at a hearing Friday morning. The potential maximum penalty for each count in the indictment is five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Douglas McNabb and other members of the firm practice and write extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, Interpol Litigation, International Extradition and OFAC Litigation.
The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.
