Three Iraqi refugees in United States charged with immigration fraud: Justice Dept

Washington: Three Iraqi refugees living in Virginia were arrested on Tuesday and charged with immigration fraud for allegedly attempting to obtain naturalization as U.S. citizens in a manner contrary to law, the Justice Department said.

Yousif al Mashhandani, 35, of Vienna, Virginia, his brother, Adil Hasan, 38, of Burke, Virginia, and Hasan`s wife, Enas Ibrahim, 32, also of Burke, were arrested and will make an initial appearance before a judge on Tuesday in Alexandria, the department said in a statement.

It said all three are lawful permanent residents of the United States, but while Mashhandani was applying for citizenship, officials determined that his fingerprints matched those found at a site where a kidnapped U.S. citizen had been rescued in Iraq in 2004.