A former security guard for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was charged with an immigration related felony as part of an alleged effort to obtain incriminating information about the congresswoman, according to his lawyer.

Abdullahi Mohamud Mohamed, who briefly served as Omar’s bodyguard, was indicted by a grand jury in April. He was accused of lying under oath to immigration authorities, a Class D felony carrying up to five years in federal prison.

The one count indictment alleged Mohamed gave dishonest answers during his green card interview on Oct. 20, 2025, while seeking legal permanent residence. Prosecutors accused him of “willfully and knowingly” making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers.

Charging documents said Mohamed falsely answered no when asked whether he had worked for the Somali government while in the United States. He also denied interactions with American officials, politicians, or government offices, according to the documents.

Gun Laws Have Changed! Protect yourself by knowing where you can and cannot carry your firearm, so you can travel with confidence.

Defense attorney Bruce Rivers said Mohamed served on Omar’s security detail during a 2022 trip to Puntland, Somalia. Mohamed also posted TikTok videos showing Omar giving him a tour of her Capitol Hill office and appearing beside her at Somali Networking Night in Minnesota on Oct. 4, 2025.

Rivers told the New York Times that Mohamed has limited English proficiency and did not fully understand the interview questions. Mohamed graduated in April from the Global Diplomacy & Peace Academy at Winona State University, a Minnesota college.

A source close to the Ilhan Omar immigration investigation rejected Rivers’s account. The source said Mohamed’s case was “totally separate from our investigation into Ilhan Omar” and “not connected” in any way, while calling the coercion allegations “completely false.”

WATCH:

Rivers claimed federal prosecutors repeatedly pressured Mohamed to help the Trump administration build a case against Omar. He alleged that authorities used possible deportation as leverage while seeking information about the congresswoman.

Trump officials have been signaling for months that they are pursuing an immigration fraud case against Omar. The investigation became public last month when federal agents raided her home on Oct. 12 and reportedly issued subpoenas for people close to Omar to testify before a grand jury.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro also confirmed that her office was investigating Omar’s personal finances. Before Mohamed’s indictment, Rivers said prosecutors invited him to a March proffer meeting, where subjects can provide information under limited immunity for potentially incriminating statements.

WATCH:

Rivers claimed Omar became the meeting’s main focus, with investigators asking about her immigration and marital history. He said investigators offered to prevent Mohamed’s deportation if he produced evidence against Omar and repeatedly said “this was coming from the White House.”

“The overarching theme was ‘give us everything and anything.’ It was a fishing expedition without a lot of direction,” Rivers claimed. He said investigators also focused on a $10,000 check Omar had written to Mohamed’s brother.

According to Rivers, investigators suspected the payment might have been a bribe intended to arrange a meeting with an ambassador and a Somali political official. Mohamed later asked his brother about the money and told prosecutors that the payment settled a loan, Rivers said.

Omar and Rivers did not answer Washington Examiner inquiries about the transaction. Omar’s office separately told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the payment was “for a loan.”

Rivers alleged prosecutors secured the April 7 indictment after failing to turn Mohamed into a cooperating witness. Mohamed testified Sept. 3 before a Washington grand jury reviewing evidence concerning Omar, and Rivers said prosecutors offered his client immunity for information that could be used against her.

Mohamed told the grand jury what he knew about the $10,000 payment but maintained that he knew little about Omar’s affairs, family history, or previous marriages. “In other words, he didn’t really know much, if anything,” Rivers told the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Prosecutors moved to dismiss Mohamed’s criminal case on Sept. 4, one day after his grand jury testimony. The government said the case was moot because USCIS had begun deportation proceedings on Aug. 19, and a judge approved the request.

“The Government is no longer interested in prosecuting the Defendant in light of his anticipated removal from the United States,” the judge wrote. Mohamed left the country after the charges were dropped, according to Rivers.

Omar spokeswoman Jackie Rogers said the congresswoman never directly employed Mohamed. She called the alleged offer to intervene in his immigration case “a staggering abuse of presidential power and a blatant weaponization of the full federal government to intimidate political opponents.”

USCIS and the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota did not respond to requests for comment. Reached in Nairobi, Kenya, Mohamed declined to comment to the New York Times and said he would speak when the “time is right.”

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.