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Four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals – including a Trinidadian – are among 17 foreigners, against whom the Department of Justice says it has filed denaturalisation actions in various US district courts, accusing them of serious offences, including sexual abuse of a minor, wire and bank fraud and distributing drugs wholesale without a licence.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citizenship may be revoked and certificate of naturalization cancelled, if the naturalisation was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by wilful misrepresentation.
According to the Department of Justice, the Caribbean nationals are from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti.
US justice officials claim that before his naturalisation in 2016, 30-year-old Ronnie Price of Trinidad and Tobago had sexual intercourse with a female who was under 16, a statutory rape crime to which he eventually pleaded guilty.
The Justice Department said during his naturalisation proceedings, however, Price falsely testified and concealed facts that would have uncovered his criminal activity.
“The denaturalisation complaint alleges that Price engaged in unlawful conduct during a critical statutory period during which he was required by law to maintain good moral character; that he provided false testimony during his naturalisation interview; and that he did so in order to conceal his crimes and wilfully misrepresent material facts that would have revealed his ineligibility for the privilege of United States citizenship,” it said.
US authorities also claim that prior to his naturalisation in 2011, Rodger George Gurdon, a native of Jamaica, engaged in a conspiracy to steal and resell medical products from military hospitals operated by the Department of Defence.
They said Gurdon, 55, engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 100 kilogrammes of a substance containing marijuana. In 2013, after he naturalised, Gurdon pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal pre-retail medical products, inter-state receipt of stolen property, and conspiracy to distribute marijuana, with the incidents occurring during the period in which Gurdon was statutorily required to demonstrate good moral character to naturalize.
The denaturalisation complaint against Gurdon alleges that, during the period in which he was statutorily required to demonstrate good moral character, Gurdon committed unlawful acts that adversely reflected on his moral character.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that Gurdon wilfully misrepresented the material fact of his crimes during his naturalization proceedings.
Another Jamaican national, 49-year-old Talman Harris, is accused of conspiring to manipulate the price and volume of shares of stock in publicly traded companies, causing more than US$54 million to be invested in artificially controlled shares and an ultimate loss to investors of approximately US$39 million from the scheme. The charges cover an eight-year period, including during his 2012-2014 naturalisation proceedings.
In 2016, after Harris’ naturalisation, a jury found him guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, with his fraudulent wire transfers and the conspiracy occurring during the period in which he was statutorily required to demonstrate good moral character.
The denaturalization complaint against Harris alleges that he committed a crime involving moral turpitude, committed unlawful acts that adversely reflected on his moral character and falsely testified about his crime.
The complaint additionally alleges that Harris wilfully misrepresented the material fact of his crimes during his naturalisation proceedings.
With respect to Jean Claude Alfred, a native of Haiti, the Justice Department said that he was naturalised as a US citizen in 1994.
“Beginning in September 1993, approximately one month before filing his naturalisation application, Alfred repeatedly sexually abused his minor daughter and continued that conduct during the pendency of his naturalisation proceedings.
“During the naturalisation process, Alfred represented in his application and under oath that he had not committed any crime for which he had not been arrested and concealed his ongoing criminal conduct.”
However, in 1996 a Florida jury convicted Alfred of attempted sexual battery upon a child in a familial or custodial relationship and for committing lewd, lascivious and indecent assault upon a child under the age of 16.
“The denaturalisation complaint alleges that Alfred illegally procured his citizenship because he provided false testimony which prevented him from establishing good moral character required for naturalisation. The complaint further alleges that Alfred obtained citizenship through the concealment and wilful misrepresentation of material facts concerning his sexual abuse of a minor,” the Department of Justice added.
Commenting on the matter, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said when criminal aliens exploit the naturalisation process by breaking the law, there are consequences.
“Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators and fraudsters. Gaining US citizenship is a privilege and under the steadfast leadership of President Trump, this Department of Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process,” said Blanche.
“We continue to work around the clock with our inter-agency partners to make sure US citizenship is granted to those who truly deserve it,” he added.
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