LOS ANGELES — An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI led to a former Syrian government official being charged with torture. A federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned a superseding indictment on Dec. 12 charging Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, of Lexington, South Carolina, with three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture.
HSI and the FBI are investigating the case, with significant support from the HSI-led Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of International Affairs.
“When it comes to pursuing our criminal investigations, Homeland Security Investigations has a long reach and an even longer memory,” said Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of the HSI Los Angeles field office. “The defendant is accused of torturing prisoners in Syria almost 20 years ago, and today, we are one step closer to holding him accountable for those heinous crimes. The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad.”
According to the investigation, Alsheikh was the head of Damascus Central Prison, colloquially known as Adra Prison, from approximately 2005 through 2008. In that role, Alsheikh allegedly ordered subordinates to inflict, and was sometimes personally involved in inflicting, severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners.
Alsheikh allegedly ordered some prisoners to Adra Prison’s “Punishment Wing,” where prisoners were beaten while suspended from the ceiling with their arms extended and were subjected to a device known as the “Flying Carpet,” which folded their bodies in half at the waist, causing excruciating pain and sometimes resulting in fractured spines.
“The allegations in this superseding indictment reveal unconscionable crimes and a clear violation of human rights,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI is committed to working with our partners across the globe to uncover the truth and ensure those who engage in unlawful and inhumane criminal activity face the full consequences of their actions.”
Alsheikh is believed to have held a variety of positions in the Syrian police and the Syrian state security apparatus, was associated with the Syrian Ba’ath Party that ruled Syria and was appointed governor of the province of Deir Ez-Zour by then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. The superseding indictment alleges that Alsheikh immigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for U.S. citizenship in 2023.
The superseding indictment adds three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture to the visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud charges that were the subject of the initial indictment against Alsheikh in August. If convicted, Alsheikh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit torture charge, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the three torture charges, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the two immigration fraud charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI would like to thank the Swedish Police Authority; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Federal Policing, Pacific Region; and authorities in Belgium for their invaluable assistance with this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by the DOJ Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The HRVWCC is led by HSI and leverages the expertise of criminal investigators, attorneys, historians, intelligence analysts and federal partners to identify, investigate, prosecute, and remove from the United States individuals who have carried out genocide, torture, war crimes and other serious human rights violations. Currently, HSI has more than 180 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,945 leads and removals cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries.
Since 2003, HRVWCC’s efforts have led to the apprehension of more than 520 individuals for human rights-related violations of the law under various criminal and immigration statutes. During that same period, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has obtained deportation orders against and physically removed 1152 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States. Additionally, ICE has facilitated the departure of an additional 199 such individuals from the United States. The HRVWCC has issued more than 79,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators of human rights abuses, and stopped over 390 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the U.S.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact HSI using the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or complete the online tip form. HSI can be reached internationally at 001-1802-872-6199 or by email at HumanRights@hsi.dhs.gov. Tips may be provided anonymously.