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Defendant Found Guilty of Naturalization Fraud in Miami
A federal jury in Miami has found Orlando Chavez, 43, a convicted child molester, guilty of naturalization fraud and using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate.
According to testimony and evidence presented during a two-day trial, Chavez was born in Cuba and submitted an application for naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on July 14, 2017. On his application, Chavez falsely responded ‘No’ to two questions: ‘Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following: Forcing or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual conduct or relations?’ and ‘Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense of which you were not arrested?’
Chavez was interviewed by a USCIS officer on April 19, 2018, and provided the same responses to the same questions while under oath and penalty of perjury. In a ceremony on April 30, 2018, Chavez took the Oath of Allegiance and was naturalized as a United States citizen. He then used his fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate as proof of United States citizenship to apply for a passport from the U.S. Department of State on May 19, 2018.
Chavez was convicted of two counts of child abuse for conduct against a minor victim under 12 years of age between January 1 and December 31, 2014. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, five years of probation, and was ordered to attend a sex offender treatment program. Chavez was not arrested for these offenses until after he was naturalized.
U.S. District Judge Roy Altman is scheduled to sentence Chavez on January 8, after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. In addition to any sentence imposed, Chavez’s citizenship will be automatically revoked.
The case was presented by ICE’s ERO division in Miami as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing national initiative designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and District Director Brett R. Rinehart of the USCIS Miami and Caribbean District made the announcement.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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