A Fraudster Sells His Kidney and Claims to Be a Survivor of Sednaya Prison

This investigation was translated using artificial intelligence,the original language is Arabic

On December 12, 2024, the Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed broadcasted an interview titled "Refused to Shoot at a Protest Involving Children and Was Arrested by the Regime... An Emotional Story Documented by Al-Jadeed's Camera from Damascus," during which a person claimed to be a survivor of Sednaya prison. He shared a story in the interview in which he alleged that his kidney was stolen during his supposed detention. However, an investigation conducted by the "Verify-sy" platform reveals that this individual is nothing more than a new fraudster among those exploiting the "Sednaya Prison" trend, part of a systematic campaign aimed at undermining the narrative of real detainees and casting doubt on all past and future testimonies documenting the Syrian regime’s crimes against the Syrian people.

Details of the allegation

During a field visit to Damascus by the newscaster of Al-Jadeed TV, "Rebecca Simaan," in the midst of her search for human interest stories, she conducted an interview with a man named George Elias Nader, who claimed to be a reserve officer and one of the recently released prisoners from Sednaya Prison.

George introduced himself as a civilian who was initially detained at a checkpoint for being wanted for reserve duty, then transferred to military police and later to the Ninth Division in Hama. According to his story, he refused to follow an order to shoot at a demonstration that included children, which led to his arrest on charges of disobeying military orders. He was then moved between several security branches in Damascus before being transferred to the notorious Sednaya Prison.

In addition to the torture George allegedly endured during his detention in Sednaya Prison, he mentioned that between March and April of this year, he and all the other detainees underwent medical tests. He was informed that his health condition required hospitalization, only to find himself undergoing several tests, including a CT scan, before being anesthetized and having his kidney removed without his consent. He added that the treatment improved significantly during the tests, but deteriorated after the surgery, as he was deprived of painkillers before being returned to Sednaya to face the same conditions until his release.

Verify Investigates

The team at "Verify-sy" conducted an extensive investigation after receiving doubts about the man's account in the interview. By cross-referencing statements from several civilians who knew him, it was revealed that his real name is "Maurice Michel Haddad," from the "Wadi al-Nasara" area in Homs, and he resides in Damascus. He had served in the military until his discharge in 2018 and was never detained in Sednaya Prison as claimed.

Selling His Kidney for Financial Gain

Maurice, who sold his kidney for financial profit — according to witnesses close to him — was spending his summer vacation in one of the resorts in the western countryside of Homs during the months when he claimed his kidney was stolen. He had previously used the same story to gain sympathy from others.

Testimony (1): A witness who knows Maurice/declined to be named.

The "Verify-sy" team also spoke with Dr. Ayman Al-Hariri, a neurosurgeon, and presented him with footage from the interview showing the location of the surgical scar. Dr. Al-Hariri confirmed that the scar, according to the video, was at least a year old and clearly targeted the left kidney. He also pointed out the inconsistency in Maurice’s story, as kidney harvesting for transplanting in another person requires specific techniques and protocols, such as matching the tissue types of the individuals and preparing both parties for surgery simultaneously. The transplant must be completed within six hours.

Impersonation and Fraud

Under different personas, Maurice had been involved in several fraudulent activities in the Damascus countryside. At times, he claimed to be a Syrian diplomat to a certain country, while at other times he appeared as an investor. The team documented testimonies from two victims but chose not to reveal the specific details or names of the victims to protect their safety.

Maurice was last seen — according to eyewitnesses — in late September 2024, in the town of Maaloula in the Damascus countryside, just before his disappearance until he reappeared on December 12, 2024, on Al-Jadeed TV in the streets of Damascus, contradicting his story of being freed from Sednaya Prison along with other detainees.

Conflicting Stories About Him on Social Media

Through reverse image searching of the name and photo of "Maurice/George," the "Verify-sy" team discovered two different stories that appeared two weeks after the interview. In the first, it was claimed that Maurice was found in the streets of Damascus with amnesia, and that he only remembered his first name and had a daughter named Mirella. However, in a post that appeared the following day, his real name "Maurice" was mentioned, and it was stated that his family had been located, even though he appeared mentally sound during the interview.

The posts included phone numbers, and the "Verify-sy" team reached out to one of the individuals listed. The person confirmed that they had deleted the post from their account after receiving calls indicating that the individual in the post was a fraudster, not someone suffering from memory loss.

Through an extensive search on Instagram, Facebook, and X, the "Verify-sy" team located accounts under the name "Maurice," containing personal photos that, according to a professional facial recognition tool, matched the individual in the interview and images posted on social media with an 86% accuracy.

A call for accuracy

The "Verify-sy" team urges all media organizations and fellow journalists to adhere to professional standards and exercise caution before broadcasting any content that could distort the narrative of actual detainees. The team also confirms that, especially after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, a large number of misleading information has been circulating, indicating the existence of hidden hands attempting to undermine the credibility of everything that has been or will be published in the future, including testimonies that document the crimes committed against the Syrian people over the past five decades under the rule of the deposed Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, before him.

Below are links to some investigations that support the platform’s warning:

• Did CNN Fabricate the Story of "Freeing a Syrian Detainee from a Secret Prison"?
• The Exit of Women from Sednaya Prison: Investigation Reveals the Fabrication of the Narrative and Concealed Theft and Vandalism
• Another "Humanitarian" Story from Syrian Prisons Hides an Assad Agent Responsible for Killing Syrians
• Fact Check: News Channels Claim Syrian Man is a Survivor of Assad's Prisons Who Lost His Memory in Saidnaya Prison