Vladimir Volgaev, Smuggling Goods from the United States, Florida 2020

A convicted gun trafficker and health care fraudster has been stripped of his U.S. citizenship after a federal court found he obtained it through fraud.

Vladimir Volgaev, a native of Ukraine and resident of Miami-Dade, Florida, was convicted in 2020 of Smuggling Goods from the United States and Theft of Government Money or Property.

The court held that Volgaev committed unlawful acts during the period prior to his naturalization in which he was required to show good moral character, thus making him ineligible for naturalization. Also, the court found that Volgaev provided false testimony regarding his criminal background and procured his U.S. citizenship by willfully misrepresenting these facts.

Volgaev engaged in the clandestine purchase, packaging and smuggling of firearm components to individuals in Ukraine and Italy starting in 2011. He also engaged in federal housing benefits fraud by underreporting his assets and income on applications for federal housing benefits, beginning in 2013.

Volgaev naturalized as a U.S. citizen on January 11, 2016, but was later convicted of Smuggling Goods from the United States and Theft of Government Money or Property in 2020.

On September 30, 2025, the Justice Department filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking Volgaev’s denaturalization based on his crimes and his failure to disclose them during his naturalization process.

Volgaev’s U.S. citizenship was revoked by the court on March 23, 2026. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christopher Lyerla of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Felix Romero and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.

The U.S. government alleges that Volgaev concealed his involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle over a thousand firearms components out of the United States and ship them to foreign markets. He is also accused of defrauding one of the federal agencies that provided him benefits by underreporting his assets and income on applications for federal housing benefits.

The government claims that Volgaev’s actions demonstrate a clear disregard for the law and a willingness to exploit the U.S. immigration system for personal gain. The denaturalization of Volgaev serves as a warning to others who may attempt to obtain U.S. citizenship through fraud.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-denaturalization-convicted-gun-trafficker-and-health-care