A former Syrian prison official was convicted by a U.S. federal jury in Los Angeles Monday on torture and immigration fraud charges after prosecutors said he oversaw and at times personally carried out brutal abuses against detainees under the now-ousted regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, a former brigadier general who once headed Damascus Central Prison, also known as Adra Prison, was found guilty following a nine-day trial of conspiracy to commit torture, immigration-related fraud offenses, and three counts of torture, according to the Justice Department.

The case marks a historic step toward accountability, with Alsheikh becoming the first Assad-era official to be tried and convicted in a U.S. federal court.

Prosecutors said the 73-year-old ordered and oversaw the torture of political prisoners between 2005 and 2008, including beatings, suspension from ceilings and the use of devices such as the so-called «Magic Carpet,» which folded victims’ bodies to inflict extreme pain.

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He entered the United States in 2020 after lying about his past on his visa application and later attempted to become a U.S. citizen, authorities said.

Alsheikh, who was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in 2024 as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Beirut, faces up to 20 years in prison for each torture-related count when he is sentenced at a later date.

«Samir Ousman Alsheikh ordered, directed, and directly participated in heinous acts of torture designed to inflict excruciating mental and physical pain with the goal of punishing and silencing political dissent,» said Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division in a statement.

«For many years, he evaded responsibility for his crimes in Syria, including by lying to U.S. immigration authorities in order to reside in the U.S. with the hope of obtaining citizenship. Thanks to the courage and perseverance of the victims and the dedication of Department of Justice prosecutors, along with their law enforcement partners, justice has prevailed and Alsheikh can no longer run from his past.»

‘HIGH STAKES DIPLOMACY’: NEW BOOK GIVES AN INSIDE LOOK AT EFFORTS TO BRING HOME AN AMERICAN DETAINED IN SYRIA

A torn portrait of Bashir al-Assad is seen inside the Presidential Palace on Dec. 10, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

According to a federal criminal complaint filed in July 2024, Alsheikh was an associate of Maher al-Assad, the younger brother of Bashar al-Assad, who led the Syrian military’s elite Fourth Division.

He was appointed by Assad in 2011 as governor of Deir ez-Zor following anti-government protests that spread across the country during the Arab Spring.

The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a Washington-based advocacy group, assisted investigators in bringing the former regime official to justice. The organization first identified Alsheikh in Los Angeles through a tip and conducted its own verification using open-source material and leaked Syrian government data.

It then alerted U.S. authorities and worked with the FBI and Justice Department to help build the case, including connecting investigators with key witnesses who testified about abuses at Adra Prison. According to SETF, it pushed for torture charges rather than solely immigration violations to ensure broader accountability.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR?

Syrian lawmaker and opposition activist Mamoun al-Homsi is pictured at his office in Damascus on Aug. 7, 2001. (Khaled Al-Hariri/Reuters)

Mamoun al-Homsi, a former independent member of the Syrian Parliament, was arrested in 2001 for demanding democratic reforms and spent five years in Adra Prison. He told Fox News Digital in an interview, through a translator, that Alsheikh stood out from other prison directors for his brutality.

Al-Homsi said that while previous prison heads largely adhered to prison rules and did not target detainees for their political views, Alsheikh’s arrival in 2005 marked a shift. 

«The toughest torture for me wasn’t anything done to me physically as much as it was what was done to others on my behalf,» said al-Homsi.

SETF executive director Mouaz Moustafa, who attended the trial, told Fox News Digital that testimony revealed Alsheikh allegedly ordered another prisoner, Khaled Abdul Malek, to poison al-Homsi.

Police stand at the gate of Damascus Central Prison in the Adra area near the Syrian capital Damascus on May 28, 2010. (Khaled al-Hariri/Reuters)

«Khaled Abdul Malek had come so close to Mamoun al-Homsi so he told him about this plan and told him don’t eat anything from anyone to the point where Mamoun al-Homsi would go to the trash if there was any and wash whatever is left,» Moustafa said.

Malek refused Alsheikh’s demand to poison the prominent political figure, leading to him being placed in Wing 13, a notorious part of the prison where people were tortured.

«Khaled Malik then had his back broken,» Moustafa said, adding that he arrived in court with a cane and could barely walk.

Al-Homsi said he survived on olive pits and lost more than 60 pounds. He was released in 2006 and later fled to Canada.

WHY SYRIA PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN TRUMP’S PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE

An aerial view of Adra Prison, located on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria. (Google Earth/Fox News Digital Ashley Carnahan)

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The former parliament member told Fox News Digital the verdict sends a message that former regime officials cannot evade accountability, even if they leave Syria and attempt to rebuild their lives abroad.

Al-Homsi called the verdict a signal that justice, though long delayed, is finally taking hold — an outcome he described as essential for the future of a free Syria.

Por la guerra con Irán, la incertidumbre económica y la inflación que no baja en Estados Unidos, la Reserva Federal (Fed) decidió este miércoles mantener la tasa de interés sin cambios, pese a que el presidente Donald Trump viene exigiendo una baja inmediata de tipos. «Las implicaciones de los acontecimientos en Oriente Medio para la economía estadounidense son inciertas», dijo la Fed.

Así, la Reserva Federal dejó la tasa en el rango entre 3,5 y 3,75 %.

La Fed tuvo su segunda reunión de 2026 para decidir sobre la tasa de interés, en un contexto marcado por la nueva coyuntura derivada de la guerra contra Irán y su impacto en los precios del crudo, la inflación y las expectativas de crecimiento económico.

“Los indicadores disponibles sugieren que la actividad económica se ha expandido a un ritmo sólido. El aumento de empleo se ha mantenido bajo y la tasa de desempleo ha cambiado poco en los últimos meses. La inflación sigue siendo algo elevada”, dijo la Fed en un comunicado al anunciar su decisión.

Y agregó que “el Comité busca alcanzar el máximo empleo e inflación a un ritmo del 2 por ciento a largo plazo».

Luego advirtió: «La incertidumbre sobre las perspectivas económicas sigue siendo elevada. Las implicaciones de los acontecimientos en Oriente Medio para la economía estadounidense son inciertas. El Comité presta atención a los riesgos para ambos lados de su doble mandato”.

“Al considerar el alcance y el momento de ajustes adicionales al rango objetivo del tipo de interés de fondos federales, el Comité evaluará cuidadosamente los datos entrantes, la evolución de las perspectivas y el equilibrio de riesgos. El Comité está firmemente comprometido con apoyar el máximo empleo y devolver la inflación a su objetivo del 2 por ciento”, agregó sobre el futuro.

Además, advirtió que “el Comité estaría preparado para ajustar la postura de la política monetaria según corresponda si surgen riesgos que puedan obstaculizar el logro de sus objetivos. Las evaluaciones del Comité tendrán en cuenta una amplia gama de información, incluyendo lecturas sobre las condiciones del mercado laboral, presiones inflacionarias y expectativas inflacionarias, así como desarrollos financieros e internacionales”

Los expertos ya habían advertido que el complicado escenario no ayudaba a que las tasas bajaran. «La guerra (de Irán) representa un choque ‘stagflacionario’ (mezcla de inflación con estancamiento) de la economía estadounidense en el corto plazo», dijo Michael Pearce, economista jefe de Oxford Economics, quien recordó que antes del comienzo de la guerra conjunta de EE.UU. e Israel contra Irán el 28 febrero, el mercado laboral estaba estabilizado y la inflación seguía una tendencia descendente.

Los analistas, en general, no han cambiado por el momento sus expectativas de recortes de tipos de interés para este año y siguen esperando alrededor de dos recortes de 25 puntos básicos en 2026, pese a que Trump sigue insistiendo en que es necesario un estímulo mayor con la baja del precio del dinero.

Los datos macroeconómicos más recientes, que no tienen en cuenta todavía el impacto de un barril de petróleo con riesgo de consolidarse por encima de los 100, no pintan un cuadro muy prometedor para la economía estadounidense.

En febrero Estados Unidos perdió 92.000 empleos, el segundo peor dato en más de un año, mientras que el crecimiento del último trimestre de 2025 fue revisado fuertemente a la baja hasta un 0,7 % en tasa anualizada, mientras que la inflación se mantuvo sin grandes cambios en el 2,4 % en febrero.

Esta será la penúltima reunión para el presidente de la Fed, Jerome Powell, antes de su salida en mayo, aunque el final de su gestión podría retrasarse si el nominado por Trump para sustituirlo, Kevin Warsh, no consigue la confirmación del Senado con la suficiente premura.

Powell ha aguantado más de un año de críticas públicas y presiones constantes por parte de Trump para que acelere la baja de tasas para abaratar el crédito y reactivar la economía. El siempre se mantuvo firme, argumentando que las decisiones las toma basándose en los indicadores más relevantes y no en presiones políticas.

La Fed ha mantenido los tipos sin cambios en lo que va de año tras tres recortes consecutivos de 25 puntos básicos a finales de 2025 y mantuvo los tipos de interés entre el 3,5 y el 3,75 %.

Sin embargo, algunos analistas, como Gregory Daco, economista jefe de EY-Parthenon, señalan que es posible que la Fed revise al alza las previsiones de inflación a medio plazo, con un impacto solo marginal debido a los precios de la energía, algo que «hace totalmente plausible que no haya ni un solo recorte de tipos en todo este año».

EXCLUSIVE: A senior House GOP leader is accusing Democrats of reviving their controversial push to «defund the police» with their latest bid to circumvent funding for law enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., called the progressive slogan «one of the dumbest ideas in the history of politics» in an interview with Fox News Digital.

«The American people lambasted them, and they moved on for a little while, but they came back to it, and they’re trying it again,» Scalise said. «We’re not going to let them do it. And by the way, we’re at a heightened level of threat — this is when everybody should be coming together and making sure that the Department of Homeland Security has all the tools they need to keep Americans safe.»

Democratic leaders announced on Wednesday that they would move to force a vote on legislation to fund all of DHS except for agencies that aid in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. It comes as the ongoing partial government shutdown, only affecting DHS, has gone on for over a month with no end in sight.

DEM SENATORS IN THE HOT SEAT AS REPUBLICANS RIP THEIR DHS VOTE AMID TERROR THREATS: ‘UNDER ATTACK’

«If you look, they fund everything except the law enforcement side, which is defunding the police. So here they go again. Democrats, for some reason, just hate law enforcement,» Scalise said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Democrats are filing a discharge petition on a bill to fund all of DHS except immigration enforcement on Wednesday. A discharge petition is a mechanism to force a vote on legislation over the objections of House leadership, provided the measure in question has support from a majority of House lawmakers.

«We can fund [the Transportation Security Administration], fund the Coast Guard, fund our cybersecurity professionals or continue to allow ICE to brutalize and in some cases kill American citizens or to violently target law-abiding immigrant families,» Jeffries told reporters.

It would need some GOP support to reach that threshold under current numbers. Scalise would not say whether he anticipated it getting that support, but he was skeptical that it would unite all House Democrats.

«Frankly, there should be Democrats that don’t want to be a part of that, that don’t wanna be associated with defunding the police again. They touched the stove and got burned a few years ago. Are they really gonna be stupid enough to make that same mistake again?» he said.

People walk in Washington, D.C., after «Defund The Police» was painted on the street near the White House on June 8, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The infamous three-word slogan made headlines in 2020 amid nationwide racial justice protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis.

Progressives across the country demanded that their governments withhold funding from police departments if they did not radically change their standards, while some on the far-left called to abolish law enforcement altogether.

But it quickly became unpopular with the majority of Americans, who were concerned it would lead to nationwide policies that led to more crime across towns and cities.

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., famously said the movement was «dead» in 2022 and said «defund the police» is «not the position of the Democratic Party.»

CORNYN BLASTS ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ DEMOCRAT FOR HOLDING TSA AGENTS ‘HOSTAGE’ DURING AIRPORT CLASH

Democrats faced significant losses in the midterms that year, with Republicans winning back control of the House of Representatives.

But Republicans are arguing that Democratic leaders are mounting that push once more in their efforts to partially fund DHS.

Their proposal would mean that both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are both left unfunded, agencies that Republicans argue are responsible for law enforcement that’s critical to national security.

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2024.  (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pointed out during a Tuesday press conference that CBP is the largest federal law enforcement agency in the country.

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«Customs and Border Protection plays an irreplaceable role in our national security framework. This is not a game. Our CBP agents stand on the front lines. They protect our nation against transnational crime, drug and child trafficking, and terrorist threats before they reach our communities,» Johnson said.

«The law enforcement agencies that are part of the Department of Homeland Security are what they’re targeting. Democrats refuse to reopen TSA and FEMA and the Coast Guard and these other critical functions of government unless they can reopen our borders to illegal aliens.»

Both ICE and CBP’s responsibilities extend beyond border security as well.

ICE is responsible for investigating transnational crimes, including terrorism, narcotics smuggling, and international gang activity. CBP also has its own counterterrorism responsibilities, along with its duties to facilitate lawful travel into the U.S. and combat transnational crime.