NEW YORK, Jan 6 A US court in New Haven, Connecticut, has sentenced a Pakistani national to two years of probation for creating a fake identity by using a counterfeit passport to file an application for a social security card, Nora R. Dannehy, Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said.

Amjad Iqbal, alias “Asif Ali”, a legal resident of Brilliant, Connecticut, had pleaded guilty to one count of Social Security fraud, she said on Wednesday.

Court documents and statements made in the court showed that on June 13 of 2001, Iqbal, using a counterfeit Pakistani passport and Immigration and Naturalisation Employment Card in the name of Asif Ali, applied for a social security card.

In his application to the Social Security District Office in Manhattan, New York, he stated that he did not receive a social security number before. This was a material misrepresentation as he had received such a number in his name.

Based on his statement, the commissioner issued a Social Security Number to him in the name of Asif Ali.

The fraud was detected when he applied for a Capital One Platinum Visa Card in the name of Asif Ali using the Social Security number issued in that name.

An investigation by the Social Security administration, the Office of Inspector General, the Department of State, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Willimantic Police Department revealed the truth, resulting in the conviction.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...
Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...