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San Diego, California – A Somali national has been sentenced in federal court for submitting false information during the U.S. asylum process, following a counterterrorism investigation that uncovered family ties to a senior ISIS-Somalia figure.
Sowda Ahmed Mohamud was sentenced to 48 days in custody — a time-served sentence — after pleading guilty to three counts of immigration fraud and false statements made under oath. Mohamud, who had already spent approximately 15 months in immigration detention, will now be removed from the United States.
According to court records, Mohamud was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in March 2024 after entering the country illegally and requesting asylum. Routine background checks flagged her as a potential match for an individual associated with terrorism. That triggered an extensive investigation by the FBI’s San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force, which uncovered misleading statements Mohamud made in her immigration filings and during testimony.
Federal prosecutors said Mohamud deliberately concealed key parts of her immigration history and familial ties. She falsely claimed that she had never applied for lawful immigration status in any country, when in fact she had previously sought legal entry into the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil. Additionally, Mohamud denied having immediate family members in the U.S., despite her sister residing in the country and undergoing her own immigration review.
More significantly, investigators identified Mohamud’s brother as Mohamed Ahmed Qahiye, a high-ranking leader in ISIS-Somalia. Qahiye has been on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List since 2022. According to the government, Qahiye helped secure weapons and funding for the terrorist organization, including coordination with Iranian nationals who allegedly paid over $10,000 to ISIS-Somalia and efforts to obtain arms shipments from Yemen containing rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, and AK-47 ammunition.
While Mohamud herself was not charged with material support for terrorism, prosecutors emphasized the seriousness of her deception and the potential national security risks associated with obscuring such connections.
“The prosecution of Mohamud for asylum fraud also represents our commitment to ensuring that individuals who might pose a threat to our national security due to their family ties to foreign terrorist organizations are swiftly removed from the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon in a statement.
Federal authorities said the case reflects a broader effort to safeguard the immigration process from exploitation. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both underscored the importance of interagency coordination in identifying individuals who may pose a threat to U.S. communities.
Mohamud will now be deported from the country under the removal order previously issued by an immigration judge.
