(WNY News Now) – A Lackawanna man will serve three years in federal prison for concealing his family’s plot to force his sister into a marriage overseas.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Thursday that 33-year-old Waleed Abughanem of Lackawanna, NY, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for misprision of felony in connection with an international kidnapping conspiracy involving his sister.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Maeve E. Huggins, Waleed’s father, Khaled Abughanem, and brother, Adham Abughanem, traveled from Buffalo to Mexico in September 2021 to abduct the victim—Waleed’s sister. The trio then conspired to transport her through Egypt to Yemen, where she was held against her will for approximately 16 months in an effort to force her into a marriage not of her choosing.

Court documents show that Waleed Abughanem was aware of the victim’s confinement and was physically present in Yemen for part of the time. When not in the country, he instructed his wife to monitor and supervise the victim. In December 2022, upon returning to the U.S., Abughanem falsely told Customs and Border Protection officials that the victim was still in the United States, thereby concealing the ongoing illegal detention.

U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. handed down the sentence in federal court.

Khaled and Adham Abughanem were previously convicted at trial and are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, with support from the Lackawanna Police Department, Customs and Border Protection, and CPB officials in Boston.