Indian-Origin CEO Among 17 Facing Citizenship Revocation
WASHINGTON, D.C. -The U.S. Department of Justice has launched denaturalization proceedings against 17 naturalized U.S. citizens, including Indian-origin businessman Neeraj Sharma. Federal authorities allege the individuals concealed criminal conduct or provided false information during the naturalization process.
Sharma, 50, former chief executive officer of New Jersey-based staffing firm Magnavision LLC, is accused of making false statements and failing to disclose unlawful conduct while applying for U.S. citizenship.
According to the Justice Department, Sharma filed 11 fraudulent H-1B visa petitions that falsely claimed workers would be employed by a global financial institution. The petitions allegedly included forged signatures of company executives.
Federal authorities said Sharma applied for U.S. citizenship in 2017 and stated under penalty of perjury that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested, never provided false information to U.S. government officials, and never lied to obtain immigration benefits.
The Justice Department said Sharma became a U.S. citizen in December 2017 but was later convicted of fraud and misuse of visas for conduct that occurred between April 2015 and April 2017.
The government is seeking to revoke his citizenship, alleging that he concealed unlawful acts, provided false testimony, and withheld material information during the naturalization process.
Announcing the actions, Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences. Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters.”
“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,” Blanche said.
The denaturalization actions were filed in federal courts across the country and involve individuals originally from India, China, Haiti, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica, Somalia, the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries.
According to the Justice Department, the cases involve allegations ranging from immigration fraud and money laundering to healthcare fraud, securities fraud, and sexual abuse offenses. Many of the complaints allege that the individuals committed crimes during the period in which they were required to demonstrate “good moral character” to qualify for naturalization, while others are accused of concealing material information or providing false testimony to immigration authorities.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said the department would continue pursuing cases involving individuals accused of unlawfully obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, U.S. citizenship may be revoked if it was obtained illegally or through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material facts.
The Justice Department emphasized that the lawsuits are civil actions and that the allegations remain unproven.
“The claims made in the complaints are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability,” the department said. (IANS)
