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Friday, September 18, 2026

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Justice Department · Friday, September 18, 2026

Former Syrian prison chief sentenced to 60 years for torture

The File desk · Sep. 18, 2026, 10:16 a.m. ET

Confirmed1 primary sources

Status

Confirmed (Justice Department OPA release, Sept. 17, 2026)
Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 74, a former head of Adra Prison near Damascus and later a provincial governor under Bashar al-Assad, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years in federal prison. A March 2026 jury convicted him of , three torture counts, visa fraud, and attempted naturalization fraud. The Justice Department says he ordered and took part in torture — including use of a “Flying Carpet” device — and lied to enter the United States in 2020. He has been in custody since July 2024. Prosecutors call him the highest-ranking former Assad-regime official tried and convicted in person outside Syria. The case was handled by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section and the Central District of California, with Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Germany’s federal police.
Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 74, a former head of Adra Prison near Damascus and later a provincial governor under Bashar al-Assad, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years in federal prison.
A March 2026 jury convicted him of , three torture counts, visa fraud, and attempted naturalization fraud.
The Justice Department says he ordered and took part in torture — including use of a “Flying Carpet” device — and lied to enter the United States in 2020.
He has been in custody since July 2024.
Prosecutors call him the highest-ranking former Assad-regime official tried and convicted in person outside Syria.
The case was handled by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section and the Central District of California, with Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Germany’s federal police.
How we know

What is still unknown or disputed

  • The exact Central District of California case number and any fine or restitution beyond the 60-year term are not in the OPA release.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Former Syrian Prison Official Sentenced for Torture and Immigration Fraud

    U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs · September 17, 2026

    Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 74, a former Syrian prison warden and provincial governor, was sentenced today to 60 years in prison for torturing prisoners and lying to U.S. immigration officials to gain entry to the United States.

    https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-syrian-prison-official-sentenced-torture-and-immigration-fraud