to Afghan issues. He was one of the founding members of the Writer's Union of Free Afghanistan (WUFA) as well as the Afghan Professor's University Association (APUA) during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan while residing in Peshawar. He received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona. Nuristani was a central figure in the 2014 election crisis of Afghanistan, as the chairman of the election commission his deputies were accused of ballot stuffing in favor of president Ashraf Ghani. Nuristani has been a controversial figure in the election process of Afghanistan and, despite Afghan public opinion being against him, he insisted on staying as chairman of the election commission. On March 26, 2016, in a surprise move Nuristani resigned from his post as the chairman of election commission. He recently became a member of Afghanistan's Meshrano Jirga (Parliament). Criminal conviction On December 11, 2019, Nuristani pleaded guilty in a United States federal court in Southern California to theft and fraud related charges. As a part of his plea agreement, Nuristani has agreed to make full restitution to the Social Security Administration and the California Department of Health Care Services. He faced up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He was sentenced to six months of home confinement. On March 8, 2021, a court in Afghanistan found Nuristani guilty of misusing his authority during his past employment for the Afghan government. References External links Nuristani Living people Nuristani people University of Arizona alumni American people of Afghan descent People from Nuristan Province 1947 births