A Kazakh woman from Karaganda, who was in the United States for her child’s medical treatment, faced legal charges. Prosecutors claim she was deceived into transferring $7,500 to the account of Syrian terrorists.
On December 11, the Los Angeles federal court disclosed that Delfuza Abdrisova, a citizen of Kazakhstan, was sentenced to six months of incarceration for providing false statements to local law enforcement. As reported by the Russian ITAR-TASS agency, the accused transferred $7,500 to Syrian militants. However, her lawyer argued during sentencing that she did so unwittingly and was herself a victim of a scam, leading to her conviction only for making false statements.
Delfuza Abdrisova to be Released and Deported to Kazakhstan
Delfuza Abdrisova, a 38-year-old resident of Karaganda, who was detained in August of this year, is expected to be released in February and subsequently deported back to Kazakhstan. Abdrisova had traveled to Los Angeles a year ago for the treatment of her five-year-old daughter, Asiya, who had suffered burns of over 70 percent of her body. The treatment and travel expenses were funded by a U.S. charitable foundation, as reported by ITAR-TASS.
The family in Kazakhstan had saved money for the trip to the United States, which Abdrisova was coerced into transferring by manipulators she encountered. Without proficiency in English, Abdrisova sought out Russian-speaking citizens on social networks upon her arrival in the U.S., eventually connecting with Russian-speaking Muslims from CIS countries.
Her lawyer, Alexey Tarasov, stated to ITAR-TASS, “After intense correspondence, they urged her to help Syrian children affected by chemical weapons. She was shown photos of killed and mutilated children and other emotionally impactful materials. She was called upon in the name of Allah to sacrifice all material goods and was promised a heavenly reward in another life for supporting Muslims in need. The manipulators managed to coerce Delfuza to transfer her family’s savings for the trip.”
Following the identification of a suspicious bank account by U.S. law enforcement, Abdrisova was summoned multiple times for questioning by immigration services. Official court materials revealed that during investigations, she denied transferring money, thereby misleading law enforcement agencies.
The U.S. court, considering her status as a mother of multiple children, mitigated her sentence to six months in prison. Her husband, Kaiyrbek Sultanuly, confirmed to RFE/RL the occurrence of the sentencing but refrained from further comment.
Charges against Abdrisova were published on the website of the Central District Court of California. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry stated it was seeking information from the Kazakh Embassy in the United States regarding the case.
In 2012, prior to Abdrisova’s departure to the United States, a fundraising campaign was organized in Kazakhstan for the surgery of her four-year-old daughter, Asiya Sultanova. The family, having requested a treatment quota from the Ministry of Health, expressed urgency in raising a substantial amount of money before the allocation of the quota.
According to attorney Tarasov, U.S. doctors successfully treated Asiya.
Source: Makpal Mukankyzy for Azattyk – Kazakh edition of Radio Free Europe, December 11, 2013.
