Vyacheslav Fyodorovich Rizhkov, Child Molestation, North Carolina 2022

Grimy Times obtained records showing that Vyacheslav Fyodorovich Rizhkov, a 44-year-old man convicted of molesting minors in North Carolina, has been sentenced to four months in prison for naturalization fraud.

On September 17, 2019, Rizhkov, an Azerbaijani national residing in Union County, North Carolina, fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application. Rizhkov falsely answered that he had never committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit a crime or offense for which he was not arrested.

However, on March 6, 2020, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Cabarrus County, Rizhkov was convicted of sexual battery of a physically helpless person and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. Rizhkov was sentenced for those offenses to a suspended term of imprisonment of between 16 and 29 months and ordered to register as a sex offender.

The victims in Rizhkov's case were minors who he molested over a period of years, beginning at least as early as July 2017. Rizhkov was not arrested until after he naturalized, thus immigration officials were unaware of his crimes.

The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge N. Carlton Tilley, Jr., on July 22, 2022. As part of the sentence, Rizhkov was also judicially denaturalized as a United States citizen, effectively revoking his U.S. citizenship.

The case was investigated as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing ICE initiative that targets child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank J. Chut.

Sandra J. Hairston, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, announced the sentence. Rizhkov's case serves as a reminder of the importance of thorough background checks and the consequences of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdnc/pr/operation-false-haven-convicted-child-molester-sentenced-naturalization-fraud-and