A former Democratic Virginia state lawmaker known for heckling President Donald Trump has been convicted of defrauding the COVID-19 relief loan program.
Ibraheem Samirah, who previously served as a Virginia state delegate, defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) after he fell into debt, according to The Washington Post.
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Ibraheem Samirah, then a Virginia state delegate, found himself deeply in debt and scrambling to save his fledgling dental practice in Fairfax County. An $83,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan was supposed to be a lifeline for the state lawmaker, the way it was for millions of others across the country as commerce ground to a halt.
Samirah, who was most known for interrupting a speech delivered by President Donald Trump in 2019, promised to use the money to pay the four workers he said worked at his practice, NOVA Healthy Smiles. But in reality, he didn’t have anyone on the payroll, and the money soon migrated to his personal bank account, according to court documents.
Samirah, 34, was sentenced last month to three years of probation and ordered to pay $88,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud.
But Samirah’s practice did not even have an active financial account from which to disburse payroll until a few days before applying for the loan, according to those court documents.
Back in 2019, video footage showed Samirah interrupting a speech President Trump was giving during the 400th anniversary of the First Representative Legislative Assembly in Virginia. He shouted, “You can’t send us back, Virginia is our home!” and held signs which read, “Deport Hate,” “Reunite My Family,” and “Go Back to Your Broken Policies.”
Protester: "Mr. President, you can’t send us back. Virginia is our home." A protester interrupted President Trump’s speech at the 400th Anniversary of the First Representative Legislative Assembly in Virginia. Ibraheem Samirah, a Virginia state delegate, was escorted out. pic.twitter.com/2zm1myLvG0
— CBSColorado (@CBSNewsColorado) July 31, 2019
In May 2020, Samirah applied for a PPP loan, falsely claiming that his dental practice had four employees. He inflated the monthly payroll for these employees. But federal prosecutors found that he lied on the application about the number of employees he had and obtained an $83,300 loan. This amount was more than what his business was eligible for.
However, he did not have any employees.
Ibraheem S. Samirah, former Democrat Assemblyman for Herndon, SENTENCED for fraudulently obtaining PPP $83,300 loan.
— Town of Herndon (Unofficial) (@HerndonSpeech) November 1, 2025
Ibraheem Samirah pleaded GUILTY to one count of FELONIOUS wire fraud, but was sentenced Thursday by a federal judge in Alexandria to only 3 years of probation. pic.twitter.com/dPuCSER0zU
After receiving the funds, the former lawmaker funneled them into his personal accounts instead of using them for payroll purposes. He withdrew money from the account that was supposedly meant for his employees and deposited it into his account.
The Small Business Administration forgave the loan. However, he was later caught and convicted of wire fraud.