DOJ Revokes Citizenship of Two Naturalized Americans for Fraud

The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that federal courts have revoked the citizenship of two naturalized Americans who concealed criminal activities during their immigration processes, while filing a lawsuit to strip citizenship from a third individual accused of marriage fraud. The actions, secured on March 23 and 24 in Florida federal courts, underscore the department's renewed focus on denaturalization cases under the Trump administration.

Vladimir Volgaev, a native of Ukraine who naturalized in 2016, lost his citizenship after a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled that he misrepresented his criminal background. Prosecutors detailed how Volgaev, starting in 2011, conspired to smuggle more than 1,000 firearm components to buyers in Ukraine and Italy, while also defrauding federal housing programs. He was convicted in 2020 of smuggling goods from the United States and theft of government money or property. The court found that these offenses, committed during the five-year period required to demonstrate good moral character for naturalization, made him ineligible, and that he provided false testimony about his history.