Edison Man Indicted for Falsely Denying Terrorist Association on U.S. Citizenship Application

Gafur Aliev allegedly concealed ISIS-related activity while applying for naturalization, faces federal perjury and false statement charges

NEWARK, N.J. — A Middlesex County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly lying on his U.S. naturalization application about associations with a designated terrorist organization, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney John Giordano.

Gafur Abdudzhamilovich Aliev, 44, of Edison, was charged with one count of making a false statement in an application for naturalization and one count of perjury. Aliev is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor via videoconference.

Federal prosecutors allege that between January 2018 and January 2020, Aliev served as a moderator or member of multiple encrypted social media channels affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which is designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization. In recorded conversations, Aliev allegedly told an individual that he had previously sent funds to ISIS to purchase weapons and expressed support for financing jihad, including amounts as small as $100 to $400.

On December 26, 2020, Aliev submitted an application for U.S. citizenship. Under penalty of perjury, he falsely stated that he had never been a member of, or associated with, a terrorist organization, according to the indictment.

The charge of making a false statement in a naturalization application carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The perjury charge carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Joyce M. Malliet, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s National Security Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.

The charges are allegations only. Aliev is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.