Justice Department Files Record 25 Denaturalization Cases Against Naturalized Citizens Accused of Fraud and Serious Crimes

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched its largest coordinated denaturalization campaign in history, filing 25 civil complaints between July 20 and August 3, 2026, against naturalized citizens from 18 countries. Under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the department has filed a record 123 denaturalization cases since January 20, 2025. The lawsuits target individuals accused of securing citizenship through fraud or concealing serious crimes, including attempted murder, child sexual abuse, and marriage fraud.

Record denaturalization filings

• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed 25 civil denaturalization complaints in multiple U.S. district courts between July 20 and August 3, 2026.
• ▪The 25 denaturalization complaints involve naturalized U.S. citizens who are natives of 18 different countries.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints since January 20, 2025, marking the highest number in recorded history.

Identity fraud schemes

• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Zia Murad Bhatti, also known as Raza Moorad, a 59-year-old Pakistani native residing in Conway, Arkansas, for allegedly concealing a 1992 illegal entry and deportation order under a false identity.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, a 56-year-old native of Nigeria, in the District of Massachusetts for allegedly obtaining citizenship under a fake identity while subject to a deportation order under the name Tinosa Joe Aigbedion.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Eddie Jones Appah, a 66 or 67-year-old native of Ghana, in the District of New Jersey for allegedly concealing a prior deportation under a different identity.

Concealed violent crimes

• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Tatiana Power, a 46-year-old native of Moldova, in the Southern District of Florida for allegedly concealing her pre-citizenship involvement in a business selling child sexual abuse material.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Emigdio Sanchez, a 62-year-old native of Mexico, in the District of South Carolina for allegedly concealing a violent 1998 spousal assault that resulted in his wife's hospitalization.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Dwyane Robinson, a 44-year-old native of Jamaica, in the Eastern District of North Carolina following his conviction for attempted first-degree murder and subsequent discharge from the U.S. Army under other than honorable conditions.

Marriage fraud cases

• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Louisa Fernandez Ordonez, a 54-year-old native of Colombia, in the Northern District of Georgia for allegedly paying a U.S. citizen for a sham marriage in 2000 and being married to two men simultaneously.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Yetunde Folake Olaniyi, a 56-year-old native of Nigeria, in the District of Maryland for allegedly entering into a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen while already married to a Nigerian citizen.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Yi Lee, a 46-year-old native of Taiwan, in the District of New Mexico for allegedly masterminding a marriage fraud ring between January 2016 and May 2017.

False testimony under oath

• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Esther Quayle, a 50-year-old native of Ghana, in the Middle District of Tennessee for allegedly misrepresenting her spouse's true name and citizenship status, as her husband had stolen the identity of a U.S. citizen.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice filed a denaturalization complaint against Enos Fong Korti, a 51-year-old native of Liberia, in the District of Minnesota for allegedly lying about his marital status during his visa process and falsely claiming during naturalization that he had never lied to U.S. officials.

Justice Department enforcement policy

• ▪Under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, the federal government is authorized to revoke a naturalized citizen's U.S. citizenship in federal civil court if naturalization was illegally procured or obtained through willful misrepresentation of a material fact.
• ▪Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the 25 filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history and are only the beginning of continued efforts to protect the integrity of the naturalization process.