Indian-American man faces denaturalization proceedings in US

New York: A 62-year-old man from India, who later became a US citizen, is facing denaturalization proceedings after it emerged that he conspired to defraud investors of USD 2.5 million and did not disclose this information to the federal authorities here.

Debashis Ghosh is a naturalized US citizen whose last known residence is in Cook County, Illinois. He entered the United States multiple times on various non-immigrant visas beginning as early as 1991 and became a US citizen in 2012.

Ghosh is among 12 individuals against whom the US Department of Justice announced it has filed denaturalization actions in various US district courts. The 12 individuals are accused of serious offences, including providing material support to a terrorist group, committing war crimes and sexually abusing a minor.

The US Justice Department said that before Ghosh naturalized, he conspired to defraud investors of USD 2.5 million intended for the construction of an aircraft maintenance facility.

After naturalising, Ghosh continued the fraudulent scheme, misrepresenting the location and safekeeping the investor funding. In his 2012 naturalization application and interview, Ghosh claimed that he had never committed a crime for which he had been arrested.

The denaturalization complaint against Ghosh alleges that he is subject to denaturalization because during the period in which he was statutorily required to demonstrate good moral character, he committed a crime involving moral turpitude, committed unlawful acts that adversely reflected on his moral character, and falsely testified about his crime.

Additionally, Ghosh willfully misrepresented the material fact of his crime during his naturalization proceedings.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the citizenship of a naturalised US citizen may be revoked and the certificate of naturalization cancelled, if the naturalisation was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.

"Individuals implicated in committing fraud, heinous crimes such as sexual abuse, or expressing support for terrorism should never have been naturalized as United States citizens," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

"The Trump administration is taking action to correct these egregious violations of our immigration system. Those who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law." Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division said the department continues to file denaturalization actions at record speeds to restore integrity in the naturalisation process.

"The disturbing criminal histories confirm these individuals should have never received the privilege of US citizenship. We remain committed to leveraging every tool available under the law to pursue those who obtain their US citizenship unlawfully," he said.