Prosecutors Seek to Revoke Ex-Mayor's US Citizenship

Federal prosecutors in Miami have filed a civil complaint seeking to revoke the U.S. citizenship of Philippe BienAime, a former mayor of North Miami, Florida, accusing him of using fraudulent identities and a sham marriage to illegally obtain naturalization after entering the country unlawfully.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida submitted the denaturalization complaint on February 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. BienAime, a native of Haiti also known as Jean Philippe Janvier, faces allegations that he concealed his immigration history and provided false information during the naturalization process, which culminated in his citizenship approval in 2006.

According to the complaint, BienAime first entered the United States around 2000 using a fraudulent, photo-switched passport under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Haiti in 2001 after determining the entry was fraudulent. BienAime appealed the order but withdrew the appeal, stating he had returned to Haiti. Prosecutors allege he never left and instead remained in the country, adopting the...