A man who owned and operated an Atlanta gas station with his brother was sentenced to federal prison Friday for the illegal activities that went on there, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Sohel Lilywala, 34, pleaded guilty in June to being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm, making a false claim to U.S. citizenship and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced Friday to six years, nine months in prison, plus three years of supervised release. His sentence was enhanced because he had firearms in connection with drug trafficking, authorities said.
Lilywala, who used to live in Fayetteville, was arrested in February after federal agents and police found guns and drugs at the Citgo gas station that he owned with his brother in the 3800 block of Jonesboro Road. Authorities also said they found $80,000 in cash in his brother's car. They were tipped off about Lilywala when he tried and failed to acquire a U.S. passport after paying for a fraudulent Georgia driver's license with someone else's information, according to the evidence presented in court.
“Now he will spend several years in a federal prison on his three felony convictions before being sent back to his own country,” U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a news release.
Lilywala's brother, Firoz Lilywala, was sentenced on felony charges of aggravated identity theft and passport fraud in September.
About the Author
