The Department of Justice announced Monday that it is moving to revoke the citizenship of 17 individuals who allegedly obtained naturalization through fraud or deception. The individuals, from 13 different countries, are accused of serious criminal conduct, including child sexual abuse, narcotics trafficking, and large-scale financial fraud.
Alleged Crimes and Deception
Nearly all of the individuals reportedly lied during the naturalization process, claiming that they did not commit any crimes the authorities were unaware of, claims that were later found to be untrue or misleading. By making false statements, officials argue that they failed to meet the statutory ‘good moral character’ requirement for U.S. citizenship under federal law.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, ‘Gaining U.S. citizenship is a privilege and under the steadfast leadership of President Trump, this Department of Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process.’ DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin added, ‘American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly. If you come here, break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege.’
Accused Individuals and Their Crimes
The accused individuals are overwhelmingly middle-aged to senior adults, ranging in age from 39 to 69, and originate from 13 countries across the globe. The most common alleged offense among the accused is child sexual abuse. Six of the 17 individuals — roughly 35% — were identified in connection with child sex crimes, including statutory rape and the receipt of explicit images involving minors.
One notable case involved a Roman Catholic priest who allegedly used his position of trust to groom and abuse a child. The fraud cases also involved large-scale, multi-million-dollar schemes, including $54 million in securities and wire fraud and $36.7 million in fraudulent claims billed to Blue Cross Blue Shield through fake physical therapy clinics.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
