US citizen denaturalized, jailed for lying

Recently, a US citizen was found guilty of immigration fraud and denaturalized for providing false information on his naturalization application (Form-400). He was sentenced to eight months in prison and will likely be deported once he is released.

His violation was his failure to disclose that he had committed a crime prior to applying for naturalization.  There is a question on the naturalization application that asks, “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” This seems like an odd question, as it basically asks a person to admit to crimes even if they have not been caught or charged with a crime. He answered “no” and was able to successfully naturalize in July 2019.

A few years later, in 2022, he was caught and convicted of statutory rape of a child, which was committed from January 2019 through December 2019. Therefore, the offense was ongoing when he made the false statement on his naturalization application about having never committed a crime for which he was not arrested. When he naturalized in July 2019, he had committed a crime but had not yet been caught or arrested. Still, that constituted a false statement on his naturalization application, resulting in his being convicted of immigration fraud and being denaturalized.

This person’s denaturalization was part of “Operation False Haven,” which identifies and helps prosecute egregious felons who were convicted after applying for immigration benefits (such as applying for naturalization) for crimes they committed prior to applying.

If you are a green card holder and are thinking about applying for naturalization but have issues such as crimes, fraud, etc. or if you are already a citizen and want to petition someone but have a troubled past, you should consult with an attorney to determine your risks and options. As you can see, committing a crime but not disclosing it could still have grave immigration consequences, even after you naturalize.

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