Why just probation, and not hard time?

Self-described “corruption fighter” convicted of fraud — $88,000 stolen

Virginia Democrat Who Went Viral Protesting Trump Sentenced For COVID Fraud

A former Democratic Virginia state lawmaker who made headlines for disrupting a speech by President Donald Trump was recently sentenced after confessing to defrauding a federal COVID relief program.

A judge sentenced Ibraheem Samirah, 34, Oct. 30 to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $88,000 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge, according to FFX Now. The former Democratic delegate secured $83,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds fraudulently back in May 2020.

Prosecutors said Samirah created fake payroll and tax records, claiming he had four employees at his dental practice, NOVA Healthy Smiles, and backdated the documents to January 2020, The Washington Post reported. Court records showed his practice lacked a current financial account to pay employees until days before he requested the loan. 

After receiving the money, Samirah moved the funds through accounts belonging to fake employees into his personal bank account, according to court documents. He spent the cash on personal expenses rather than legitimate business costs and later applied to secure forgiveness for the loans in August 2021, the documents said.

The former delegate first secured election to the Virginia House of Delegates in a 2019 special election, then lost to a challenger in 2021, FFX Now reported. He gained national attention in 2019 when he interrupted a Trump speech in Jamestown, holding a “Deport Hate” sign and yelling “Mr. President, you can’t send us back! Virginia is our home!”

And of course, he blames Trump

Samirah told The Washington Post he misunderstood the loan rules and blamed“Donald Trump’s Justice Department” for his prosecution.

From the thief’s former campaign’s webpage:

Meet Dr. Ibraheem Samirah

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, I enjoyed a typical American childhood—watching basketball in the bleachers, riding bikes with my brothers, and then getting around to my homework.

That all changed in middle school when my father traveled to Jordan to care for his ailing mother and was denied re-entry to the U.S. by the Bush Administration. My family uprooted and relocated to stay together and fight for my father’s reinstatement. It took eleven years, but we won. That experience taught me that while the American dream is real, our country’s entrenched prejudice can take it away at any moment.

I worked hard in school so I could one day return to the country I loved. I attended American University and went on to Boston University for dental school. In 2019, I was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a representative of Loudoun County. For three years, I tried to drive our country towards the promise of what America can be in order to address our country’s injustices so that nobody else’s American dream can be stolen and pushed out of reach.

I took on MAGA Republicans, confronted Donald Trump, fought corruption, and championed a progressive vision that would create better, more cohesive schools, high-quality jobs, lower costs, enshrine healthcare as a human right, and fight the climate crisis that threatens the future of our planet.

Today, I’m a small business owner working to build out of the pandemic through my dental practice, helping everyday Loudouners become healthier with more opportunities to succeed.

I’m running for State Senate because we need to defend our democracy by fighting the influence of big money in politics, defending abortion rights across Virginia, and stopping gun violence in our schools, places of worship, and community centers. Loudoun deserves a State Senator who will champion bold legislation that reduces everyday costs on families.

I fought for you in Richmond before. I'll fight for you again.

Fake payroll, imaginary employees, shuffling payments into his personal accounts, and then a year later applying for loan forgiveness. What rules did he not understand?