Man Stripped Of US Citizenship 15 Years After Being Convicted For Rape

Photo: DoJ

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – A federal court in New York has revoked the US citizenship of Gurmeet Singh, an India-born man who was convicted of rape and kidnapping after he concealed the crimes during his naturalization process.

The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued the order August 26. Singh is required to surrender his citizenship. The Justice Department filed the civil case seeking to revoke his naturalization in February.

Singh came to the US in February 1992 as a visitor, with permission to stay for up to six months. He remained in the country without authorization for years before obtaining permanent resident status in June 2000 through a family-based immigrant visa petition.

In May 2011, just weeks before he applied for US citizenship, Singh was working as a taxicab driver.

According to the Justice Department, he picked up a female passenger who fell asleep during the ride home. Singh drove her to a place where there were no witnesses.

When the woman woke up, Singh was on top of her with a knife against her throat, the department said. He threatened her, tied her up, gagged and blindfolded her, removed her clothes and raped her.

The victim escaped from the cab at dawn and ran to a person in the street for help.

Singh concealed the incident during his naturalization proceedings and became a US citizen in 2011.

He was later convicted in New York of Rape in the First Degree and Kidnapping in the Second Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Singh had concealed the rape and kidnapping while seeking citizenship.

“American citizenship is not a shield for criminals,” Blanche said.

He said the Justice Department would continue to pursue denaturalization cases when citizenship was obtained through fraud.