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Perplexity ChatGPT Claude Gemini

The Citizenship-Fraud Cases at USCIS & What The Agency Looks For Before Granting Citizenship

Perplexity ChatGPT Claude Gemini
The Citizenship-Fraud Cases at USCIS & What The Agency Looks For Before Granting Citizenship

 

Few people read USCIS news releases, but the agency's newsroom over the past week has read like a court docket. The listing shows a conviction in a Florida smuggling case, charges against two New Jersey residents accused of illegal voting and false statements while applying for citizenship, a Kansas indictment, and a Romanian woman's admission to a sham marriage. Each is a small story. However, together they show how closely a citizenship file can be examined by USCIS. 

Here, our EB-1A consultants have commented on precisely that: what would trigger an alarm to USCIS when granting citizenship.

A week of cases

In New Jersey, prosecutors say Patrick Terrance Reid, 61, a Jamaican national, and Danubis Bernat, 49, a Venezuelan national, were each charged with voting by an alien in a federal election and making false statements while applying for citizenship. According to the complaints, both certified on voter forms that they were citizens. Reid allegedly voted in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024, and Bernat in 2024. Both later filed Form N-400, which is sworn under penalty of perjury, and each allegedly claimed never to have registered or voted. The voting counts carry up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, while the false-statement counts carry up to ten years and $250,000. The cases came from a U.S. Attorney's Office election task force working with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and USCIS. As the office stressed, the charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent.

In Kansas, a grand jury indicted George Olawunmi Johnson, 67, a Nigerian national. He faces four counts, including false claim to U.S. citizenship and voting by an alien, over a February 2010 voter registration and a November 2024 ballot. Local reporting noted that a Kansas Secretary of State lawyer described noncitizen voting as very rare.

The USCIS listing also included a Haitian national's guilty plea over voting in the 2024 election, and a Charlotte indictment of a naturalized Bhutanese citizen for naturalization fraud.

Separately, USCIS said it played a critical role in the conviction of Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 28, of Hialeah, Florida, in a smuggling and money-laundering conspiracy. Evidence showed the group moved thousands of Cubans across the southern border, charging $1,500 to $40,000 and sometimes chartering private planes. A Justice Department official said he "used his travel agency as a front" for the scheme. Sentencing is set for December 17, with a 20-year maximum. This is an immigration-crime case rather than a naturalization one, but it appeared in the same news cycle.

Why the paperwork is often the trap

The false-statement charge matters because the form is a sworn document. A Texas case shows the mechanism. Prosecutors charged Joshua Akpom, a Nigerian permanent resident, with lying on a 2026 naturalization application by denying he had registered or voted, though he allegedly registered in 2017 and voted in 2018. Because of the five-year statute of limitations, they relied on the naturalization offense rather than the voting. In other words, a lie on the form can be prosecuted when the underlying conduct no longer can.

The policy backdrop of these strings of incidents

The prosecutions follow tougher guidance. A 2025 USCIS policy update says noncitizens who falsely claim citizenship or vote unlawfully will be issued a Notice to Appear, and naturalization applications will generally be denied once removal proceedings begin, except for military-service cases. The policy alert adds that unlawful registration or voting can defeat the good-moral-character requirement. Legal Aid Society lawyers warn that USCIS may deny an application, reassess green card status and issue a Notice to Appear.

The politics are also a bit contested and convoluted about it. One conservative outlet tied the New Jersey charges to roughly 6,600 noncitizen registrations that Governor Mikie Sherrill attributed to a "software error." Readers should weigh that framing against Kansas officials' view that such voting is rare.

Seven things USCIS can verify before granting citizenship

  • Good moral character. This means conduct matching the standards of average community members, shown for the statutory period (five years, or three for spouses of citizens) through the Oath of Allegiance.
  • Criminal history. Applicants must document any criminal record as part of the evidence file.
  • Voting. As shown above, unlawful registration or voting can defeat good moral character.
  • False statements. Every N-400 answer is sworn, and a past claim to be a U.S. citizen can disqualify an applicant.
  • Prior immigration history. How you obtained your green card can affect whether USCIS approves you or revisits your status. A sham-marriage case such as the Romanian plea shows why.
  • Tax issues. Good-moral-character documents address tax obligations alongside criminal history.
  • Travel and residence. Applicants must list every absence since becoming a permanent resident, and absences of six months or more raise a presumption of broken continuous residence. They must also have lived three months in the filing state or district.

At GCEB1, our EB-1A experts are bringing the latest guidance, analysis and insights to our readers. We also provide attorney-assisted eb-1a guidance to the extraordinary achievers in the U.S. Get in touch with us if you need personalized guidance on merit based immigration. We wish you a safe and stress free immigration journey ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are these people guilty?

No. The New Jersey and Kansas matters are charges or indictments, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

2. Why did the New Jersey defendants face false-statement charges?

Prosecutors allege they denied voting on sworn N-400 forms after casting federal ballots.

3. What are the maximum penalties in the New Jersey cases?

Up to one year and $100,000 per voting count, and up to ten years and $250,000 per false-statement count.

4. Is noncitizen voting common?

Officials quoted in Kansas call it very rare, though the federal government is publicizing prosecutions.

5. Can a permanent resident be denied citizenship over voting?

Yes. USCIS policy says unlawful registration or voting can defeat good moral character and may lead to a Notice to Appear.

6. Does the Florida smuggling case involve naturalization?

No. It concerns alien smuggling and money laundering, not citizenship applications.

7. Why did the Texas case use a naturalization charge?

The five-year limitations period barred the voting charge, so prosecutors relied on the false statement.

8. Which absences endanger continuous residence?

Absences of six months or more raise a presumption that residence was broken.

9. What should applicants do to avoid problems?

Answer every N-400 question truthfully, gather documents, and consult a qualified immigration attorney about any past voting, arrests or tax issues.

Sources & further readings

 

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