United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced a indictment charging Abduvosit Razikov, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen, and Dilrabo Obidova, a 35-year-old Uzbek national from Orlando, with a conspiracy involving false statements to federal agencies, illegal acquisition of immigration benefits, false statements in U.S. passport applications, and the illicit procurement of U.S. passports, United States Attorney's office reported.
The indictment outlines over 16 years of conspiratorial actions by Razikov and Obidova, who are accused of hiding their fraudulent marriages and engaging in a complex scheme to deceive immigration authorities. The charges include several counts of passport fraud, false statements to federal agencies, and an attempt by Obidova to unlawfully obtain naturalization or U.S. citizenship.
If convicted, both Razikov and Obidova face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for conspiracy and up to ten years for passport fraud. Additionally, Obidova could receive five years for making false statements to a federal agency and up to ten years for attempting to illegally procure naturalization or U.S. citizenship.
The superseding indictment alleges that Razikov, originally from Uzbekistan, manipulated the immigration system and obtained U.S. citizenship through a fraudulent marriage to a U.S. citizen. Simultaneously, Razikov and Obidova orchestrated a separate fraudulent marriage for Obidova to gain immigration benefits in the United States. Despite their secret marriage, they concealed their relationship from immigration authorities, going as far as listing Obidova's sham husband as the father on official documents.
As they obtained lawful permanent resident status, Obidova pursued naturalization. However, the indictment claims that she made false statements in her application, including fabrications about her background, marriages, and prior attempts to illegally secure immigration benefits.
A indictment is an accusation, and all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The case, investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, received support from various federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution will be led by Assistant United States Attorneys Kara M. Wick and Richard Varadan.
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