A one-count information was filed charging a Jordanian citizen living in Youngstown with making a false claim of citizenship related to the purchase a firearm, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said.
Abdul Maola Alabadi, 35, falsely and willfully represented himself to be a citizen of the United States on Aug. 30, 2017, according to the information.
The manager at Fin Fur Feather in Boardman called the ATF on Sept. 2 after he stopped the purchase of a rifle by Alabadi based on comments made by Alabadi. The manager told agents that Alabadi purchased a 9 mm pistol the previous week, according to the court documents.
Alabadi told a sales associate he wanted to purchase a “sniper rifle for training." The manager estimated Alabadi was in the store for two to three hours and at one point had someone come to translate and attempt to straw purchase a firearm for him, according to court documents.
During the previous purchase of the 9 mm, Alabadi checked a box indicating he was a U.S. citizen. Alabadi is not a U.S. citizen, according to court documents.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the information was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David M. Toepfer.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
