A U.S. court sentenced a Lebanese immigrant living in Texas to five years in jail for knowingly lying to federal authorities after failing to reveal his former links with the Amal Movement and Hezbollah when he applied for U.S. citizenship.
Wissam "Sam" Allouche, 45, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Antonio Joint Terrorism Task Force in May 2013. He became an American citizen in 2009 after marrying his wife, a U.S. army soldier.
The announcement, made by the FBI office in San Antonio, Texas, said Allouche was sentenced to five years in federal prison for making a false statement to a federal agent and for unlawfully attempting to procure and obtain naturalization and citizenship.
Jurors convicted Allouche on both charges in February 2015 aftering finding that there was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Allouche was a member of the Amal Movement and had command authority in Hezbollah.
Testimony during the trial revealed that Allouche, who migrated to the United States after marrying his wife, failed to disclose in January 2009 to United States immigration authorities the fact that he was an Amal member in the 1980s in order to remain in the United States, according to the announcement.
In addition, while seeking a position as contract linguist with the United States Department of Defense that required top security clearance, Allouche failed to disclose that he was held as a prisoner of war by Israel.
Relatives also testified that Allouche later claimed he killed an Israeli pilot captured by Hezbollah in retaliation for his imprisonment.
