A 27-year-old Williamsburg man could get five years in federal prison for allegedly giving false statements during his application to join the U.S. Army and Air Force.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Shivam Patel was arrested Thursday on charges he hid information from recruiters about his foreign travel and prior arrest in the Kingdom of Jordan.
According to the criminal complaint unsealed the day of his arrest, Patel traveled to China in July 2016 before flying to Jordan, where he was arrested, detained, and deported to the United States.
A few months later, in early September 2016, Patel is believed to have told an undercover agent that he wanted to join a “Muslim army” and commit jihad. Then, in December, Patel applied to join the U.S. Army and Air Force through the Officer Candidate Selection process.
According to the complaint, Patel did not disclose his travel to China or Jordan in his application. Patel allegedly claimed he did not leave the United States in the past seven years, except for a family trip to India in 2011-2012.
Patel was charged on June 30 with “making materially false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the United States government,” the release stated.
He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted, the release stated.
