Omar’s Office Says DOJ Offered Bodyguard Deportation Help for Information

Mohamed, who holds Somali and British citizenship, briefly worked as a bodyguard for Omar during an overseas trip. He applied for a green card after marrying an American citizen in Minnesota. At an October 2025 immigration interview, he was asked whether he had interacted with US officials or politicians. His lawyer, Bruce Rivers, told the Times that Mohamed did not understand the question because of his limited English and answered no.

His application was denied. Several months later, in February, the Justice Department notified him that he was under investigation for allegedly lying under oath to a government official, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison. At a March meeting, prosecutors questioned Mohamed about Omar’s childhood immigration from Somalia, her 2009 marriage and a $10,000 payment involving her and Mohamed’s brother. Prosecutors described the payment as a possible bribe; Mohamed’s brother later said it repaid a loan.

Rivers told the Times that prosecutors repeatedly said the investigation into Omar was “100% being run by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” referring to the White House. He said Mohamed had no information about Omar’s marriage. The Times reported that prosecutors secured a grand jury indictment against Mohamed after he did not provide information they sought. In September, after he again testified that he knew nothing about Omar’s immigration history, prosecutors moved to dismiss the indictment, citing his expected removal from the United States and saying there was “no longer a federal interest” in continuing the case. Mohamed is now in Nairobi, Kenya; his wife remains in the United States.

The inquiry unfolded amid President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s focus on a Minnesota social-services fraud scandal and an anti-fraud task force led by Vance. Trump accused Omar of being “one of the ringleaders” of fraud, while Vance said he hoped to hold her accountable for immigration fraud. In October, Department of Homeland Security agents raided Omar’s Washington, DC, home as part of an investigation into her immigration history. The White House has said it aims to deport her.

Jackie Rogers, Omar’s spokesperson, called the prosecutors’ offer a “staggering abuse of presidential power” and an effort to intimidate political opponents. Omar won reelection last week with more than 76% of the vote. On election night, she said those who came after her had expected her to “cower” and silence her community.