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Federal prosecutors have identified Rep. Ilhan Omar under a different surname in newly filed court documents, adding another development to an immigration fraud investigation examining longstanding allegations that the Minnesota Democrat married a man who was actually her brother.

In a filing submitted Wednesday to federal court in Washington, prosecutors referred to the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar,” using the same surname as Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, the man she legally married in 2009 and divorced in 2017.

The designation has attracted particular attention because Omar has spent years denying allegations that Elmi is her biological brother and that their marriage was arranged to help him obtain immigration benefits. The appearance of the Elmi surname in a federal document does not, by itself, establish a family relationship or prove that any immigration laws were violated.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, Omar was born with the surname Elmi rather than Omar, raising additional questions about the identity information appearing in her immigration and citizenship records. Fox News first reported the claim concerning her original surname.

Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the development Thursday, suggesting that prosecutors would have relied on information gathered during their investigation when identifying Omar in the court filing.

“I don’t think [Assistant United States Attorneys] would make up names,” Blanche told the New York Post when questioned about the use of the surname associated with Omar’s former husband.

“Evidence that’s collected is used in motions,” Blanche added.

The investigation is examining whether Omar submitted inaccurate personal information on federal immigration documents, including applications involving citizenship, passports, or other government records. Prosecutors and legal experts have indicated that investigators are examining potential offenses that could fall within a ten-year statute of limitations.

Authorities are reportedly considering whether the use of an alternative identity or an incorrect birth date on official paperwork within that period could provide grounds for criminal charges. No determination of wrongdoing has been established by the information publicly disclosed.

Omar has consistently rejected accusations that her marriage to Elmi was intended to circumvent immigration laws. Her office has previously characterized the allegations as baseless attacks that have followed her since her entry into Minnesota politics.

The controversy resurfaced this week when Omar appeared on MS NOW and was questioned directly about whether she had any family relationship with her former husband.

“Not to my knowledge,” she responded.

Her answer immediately drew criticism from political opponents who questioned why she had not offered a more categorical denial.

President Donald Trump commented on the exchange Thursday, suggesting that Omar’s wording was significant.

“That tells you a lot right there,” Trump said when asked about the interview.

“No, she’s — I’ve never been a big fan of her. I’ll be honest. Let’s see how it all works out. But that statement tells you a lot,” the president added.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Omar and raised the possibility of criminal prosecution over the allegations surrounding her immigration history.

The congresswoman’s latest remarks contrasted with a statement she issued in August 2016, when she was still legally married to Elmi and faced similar questions during her campaign for the Minnesota House of Representatives.

“Insinuations that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive,” Omar declared at the time.

Omar and Elmi subsequently divorced in 2017, ending a marriage that had remained the subject of controversy for years.

Before her marriage to Elmi, Omar had entered into a religious marriage ceremony with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, although the couple did not legally marry until 2018. Their relationship ended the following year.

In 2020, Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett, who had previously worked on one of her congressional campaigns.

The latest revelations emerged as federal authorities continued examining the congresswoman’s immigration records and financial affairs, with investigators seeking access to documents and electronic evidence connected to the inquiry.

Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office submitted Wednesday’s court filing in an effort to keep a federal search warrant under seal while investigators complete its execution. News organizations, including the New York Times, have sought access to the warrant.

The warrant was partially carried out on October 12, when Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington residence and removed several items, including her cellphone, computer, passport, and additional materials collected in evidence boxes.

The search marked a significant escalation in the investigation, bringing federal agents directly to the home of a sitting member of Congress.

Federal authorities in Minnesota are also reportedly pursuing evidence concerning Omar’s family background and immigration history. Their efforts have included interviews with relatives and the collection of DNA evidence that investigators believe could help determine whether Omar and Elmi are biologically related.

The reported DNA collection has renewed attention to allegations that first emerged publicly during Omar’s 2016 campaign for the Minnesota Legislature.

The congresswoman has faced questions about her personal history and immigration documentation for approximately a decade. Federal authorities previously examined allegations involving her during Trump’s first administration, although no criminal charges resulted from those earlier inquiries.

Investigators are now reportedly focusing on whether Omar misrepresented information about her birth, family relationships, or immigration status in documents submitted to federal agencies.

Another issue involves the circumstances surrounding Omar’s acquisition of American citizenship following her family’s arrival in the United States as refugees from Somalia.

Omar has explained that her original birth certificate was destroyed amid the upheaval that engulfed Somalia during the early 1990s. Her family fled the country in 1991 and spent approximately four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before eventually resettling in America.

Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, became a naturalized American citizen in 2000. Under the citizenship rules applicable at the time, Omar’s eligibility to derive citizenship through her father depended in part on whether she was younger than 18 when he naturalized.

According to the birth date currently associated with her official biography, Omar would have been 17 at the time.

However, records previously maintained by Minnesota’s legislative library reportedly listed a birth date that would have made her at least 18 when her father became a citizen, potentially affecting her eligibility for derivative citizenship.

That discrepancy became another subject of scrutiny after records showed that Omar’s congressional staff requested a correction to the legislative library’s birth-date entry in 2019, following her election to Congress.

The circumstances surrounding the original entry, the subsequent correction, and the documentation used to establish her age have become part of the broader controversy over her immigration history.

The Justice Department’s investigation has also prompted a legal dispute over how much information the public should be allowed to see while the inquiry remains active. Prosecutors maintain that releasing the warrant and its supporting materials prematurely could interfere with investigative work that has not yet been completed.

According to the government’s latest filing, the October 12 search warrant has still not been fully executed. Prosecutors have requested additional time before responding to applications seeking disclosure of the records, including requests submitted by multiple news organizations and Judicial Watch.

The investigation has drawn particular scrutiny because it involves a sitting member of Congress just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections. Justice Department procedures traditionally discourage overt investigative actions involving political candidates close to an election, although exceptions are permitted.

Additional reporting has revealed that the federal judge who authorized the search imposed restrictions on investigators’ access to certain materials because of constitutional protections covering congressional activities.

Omar, meanwhile, has maintained that she committed no wrongdoing and has accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to intimidate a political opponent. She has also said she intends to move from her Washington residence following the search, citing concerns about her family’s safety.

The congresswoman has continued campaigning and recently appeared in a video requesting donations from supporters as the investigation attracts national attention.

The government has not publicly explained why prosecutors used the name Ilhan Nur Said Elmi in the court filing, and the designation alone does not establish that Omar was born under that name or that she is related to her former husband. No criminal charges have been announced.

The next major developments are expected to come from the court’s handling of the requests to unseal the search warrant, the continuing examination of immigration and family records, and any decision by federal prosecutors about whether the evidence supports criminal charges.