The Justice Department is seeking to take away the U.S. citizenship of a Haitian-born man accused of using two different identities — and what officials describe as a fake marriage — to avoid deportation and eventually become an American citizen.
The department, along with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, announced Friday that it had filed a civil complaint in federal court in Miami against Philippe Bien-Aime, who is also known as Jean Philippe Janvier.
Prosecutors say he entered the United States illegally and then used different names and birth dates, along with false statements, to gain immigration benefits and ultimately U.S. citizenship.
"This Administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship," Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said. "The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud."
According to the complaint, Bien-Aime first came to the U.S. using a fraudulent, "photo-switched" passport under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. In 2001, an immigration judge ordered him deported under that name.
He initially appealed that decision but later dropped the appeal, telling authorities he had returned to Haiti, prosecutors allege. The government says that wasn't true and that he stayed in the United States, adopting a new name and date of birth.
Under the name Philippe Bien-Aime, officials say he married a U.S. citizen in order to get a green card. But the complaint alleges the marriage was not legitimate and was invalid because he was already married to a woman in Haiti.
After what prosecutors describe as "numerous false and fraudulent statements" during the immigration process, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006 under the Bien-Aime name.
The government argues there are several reasons his citizenship should be revoked.
Officials say he was already under a final deportation order, which should have blocked him from getting legal status or becoming a citizen.
They also allege he lied under oath during interviews, including denying he had been ordered deported or had misled U.S. officials.
Investigators said the alleged fraud was uncovered through fingerprint comparisons as part of the Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project, a joint effort between the Justice Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country," U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones for the Southern District of Florida said. "The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order."
"The fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the alleged deception even more serious, because public office carries a duty of candor and respect for the rule of law," Quinones continued. "If proven, we will ask the Court to revoke a status that was never lawfully obtained."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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