Since July, 25 complaints have been filed, marking the largest denaturalization effort ever
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has worked together with the Department of Justice to file denaturalization cases against 25 people accused of serious crimes. These crimes include attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon intending to kill, severe assault and battery, and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen can lose their citizenship and have their naturalization certificate canceled if their citizenship was gained illegally, by hiding important facts, or by lying. Since January 20, 2025, the Justice Department has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints, the highest number ever recorded. The following charges were recently filed in the last few weeks.
Summary of Cases:
Zia Murad Bhatti (59, Pakistan): Filed in Eastern District of Arkansas for immigration fraud during naturalization. Bhatti entered the U.S. illegally in 1992 using the name Raza Moorad, faced removal orders, but stayed illegally. He married a U.S. citizen and got legal permanent residency with another name, Zia Murad Bhatti. He hid his prior identity and removal order when applying for citizenship.
Tatiana Power (46, Moldova): Filed in Southern District of Florida for crimes involving sexual abuse of children before becoming a U.S. citizen. She came to the U.S. in 2005 and naturalized in 2010. In 2021, she was charged for running a business selling illegal images and videos of child sexual abuse. She admitted this started before she naturalized. In 2022, she was convicted for conspiracy to hide money from this illegal business.
Narinder Singh (65, India): Filed in District of Delaware for using a fake identity to enter the U.S. Singh used two names since 1996 and naturalized in 2008.
Emigdio Sanchez (62, Mexico): Filed in District of South Carolina for hiding criminal conduct. He severely beat his wife in 1998 and pleaded guilty to assault. During his naturalization interview, he lied about not having any arrests or crimes. His violent crime made him ineligible for citizenship.
Luisa Fernandez Ordonez (54, Colombia): Filed in Northern District of Georgia for hiding marriage fraud and having two husbands at the same time. She married a second man in 2003 while still married to the first and did not tell immigration officials this was to get immigration benefits or that she was still married.
Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan (56, Nigeria): Filed in District of Massachusetts for gaining citizenship under a fake identity after deportation orders under his real name. He lied about his other name and deportation order during naturalization.
Enos Fong Korti (51, Liberia): Filed in District of Minnesota for hiding marital status and lying during naturalization. He claimed to be unmarried but was married and ineligible to immigrate as he claimed. He also falsely stated in naturalization he never lied to U.S. officials.
Yetunde Folake Olaniyi (56, Nigeria): Filed in District of Maryland for hiding true identity and entering sham marriage to get legal status and citizenship. After removal orders, she missed her removal flight, assumed another name, married a U.S. citizen fraudulently, and later was convicted of passport fraud in 2014.
Mohd Wasif (56 or 58, Pakistan): Filed in Eastern District of Texas for obtaining naturalization under multiple false identities. He lied about eligibility and failed to disclose use of multiple names.
Esther Quayle (50, Ghana): Filed in Middle District of Tennessee. She gained legal permanent residency through her husband, who stole a U.S. citizen’s identity, and naturalized after. She did not disclose her husband’s identity theft, making her ineligible for citizenship.
Dwyane Robinson (44, Jamaica): Filed in Eastern District of North Carolina after conviction of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He gained citizenship based on military service but was discharged before finishing five years of honorable service while awaiting trial. He is subject to denaturalization.
Yi Lee (46, Taiwan): Filed in District of New Mexico for taking part in arranging fake marriages to cheat U.S. immigration laws before naturalizing. He paid and coached people through sham marriage applications. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.
Eddie Jones Appah (66 or 67, Ghana): Filed in District of New Jersey for hiding prior identity and deportation during naturalization.
Jose Luis Martinez-Zavala (80, Mexico): Filed in Western District of Texas for failing to disclose in naturalization that he committed aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2010 and was convicted in 2020. He naturalized in 2014 while hiding the crime.
Vivian Chike Obichere (72, Nigeria): Filed in Northern District of California for misrepresenting facts during naturalization, including criminal history, use of aliases, travel, and providing false information to U.S. officials. She admitted using another person’s passport and lying during naturalization.
Jose Francisco Cruz (72, Honduras): Filed in Southern District of Florida for sexually abusing his minor stepdaughter from 1995 to 1998. He naturalized in 1996 and pled guilty to sexual crimes in 1999, receiving 16 years in prison and sex offender registration.
Francois Nguessi Dame (65, Cameroon): Filed in District of Maryland for sexually abusing his minor stepdaughter from ages 10 to 16 between 2008 and 2015. He naturalized in 2014 and was convicted in 2017. He hid this conduct during naturalization.
Haitham A. Mustafa (58, Jordan): Filed in Southern District of Florida for failing to disclose credit card and bank fraud using false names before and after naturalization. He pleaded guilty, was convicted in 2006, sentenced to 25 months in prison, and ordered to repay over $146,000.
Jairo Javier Pedron Tellez (29, Cuba): Filed in Southern District of Florida for failing to disclose conspiracy to commit bank fraud and identity theft before naturalizing. From 2015 to 2017, he and others illegally stole U.S. mail to get and cash checks, obtaining nearly $175,000.
Carlos Ernesto Giron (65, El Salvador): Filed in District of Maryland for lying about criminal acts during naturalization. He pled guilty in 2019 to sexual abuse of two minors from 2005 to 2010.
Juan Camilo Montoya (34, Colombia): Filed in District of Maryland for dishonorable discharge from Marine Corps before completing required honorable service after naturalization, and for lying during naturalization. He pled guilty to possession and distribution of child pornography and lied about his arrests and police citations.
Cantave Previlon (63, Haiti): Filed in Southern District of Florida for sexually abusing his minor child starting in 2007 and hiding it during naturalization. After naturalizing, he admitted and was convicted of sexual battery of a minor.
Syed Tanweer Ahmad (82, Sweden): Filed in Northern District of California for hiding that he committed grand theft and falsely claimed to be a medical doctor. In 2011, he pled guilty and was convicted of 64 crimes, including practicing medicine without a license and forgery. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Miguel Eduardo Romero (67, El Salvador): Filed in District of Maryland for repeatedly sexually abusing his minor granddaughter before naturalization and lying about it during the process.
Manuel Antonio La Rosa-Lopez (68, Peru): Filed for lying about never committing a crime before naturalization. He committed indecency with a child before naturalizing, pled guilty after becoming a citizen, and is now serving a 10-year prison sentence.
The Justice Department is seeking to remove citizenship from these individuals because their crimes show they lacked the good moral character needed for U.S. citizenship. They also lied to USCIS officers during their citizenship interviews to hide these crimes. The charges are allegations only; no final decision on their guilt has been made.