Cuban obtains U.S. citizenship, but a jury orders its revocation.

A federal jury found a Cuban from Miami guilty of naturalization fraud after he provided false statements under oath related to a prior conviction for child abuse, as a result of an investigation by the Enforcement and Removal Operations in Miami.

Orlando Chavez, 43 years old and originally from Cuba, was found guilty of fraud in his naturalization process and of using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported in a statement.

"Obtaining U.S. citizenship fraudulently undermines the integrity of the naturalization process," commented Garrett J. Ripa, director of the ERO Miami office.

"Our work is to ensure that criminals who hide their crimes, including child abuse, face justice, thus protecting our communities," emphasizes ICE.

On September 11, Chávez was found guilty of naturalization fraud and of using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate, following a two-day trial in which testimonies and evidence were presented showing that he was born in Cuba and the process he underwent to obtain citizenship.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the man submitted the naturalization application to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on July 14, 2017.

In his application, and under oath, he “falsely answered ‘No’ to two questions: ‘Have you ever been involved in any way with any of the following: coercing or attempting to coerce someone into any type of sexual conduct or relationship?’; and ‘Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?’”.

The note clarifies that during the trial, evidence was presented that Chavez had requested naturalization on July 14, 2017, and lied under oath when answering "No" to the cited questions.

He was naturalized on April 30, 2018, and used his certificate to apply for a passport on May 19 of the same year.

In October 2019, Chavez was convicted of two counts of child abuse and received a sentence of 14 months in prison and five years of probation. The conviction occurred after his naturalization.

Chavez will face sentencing on January 8, 2025, with a maximum of 10 years in prison and the automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship, the document states.

It adds that the investigation is part of an ongoing initiative that seeks serious offenders who concealed crimes during the naturalization process.

Although the prosecution did not specify it at the time, Chávez could be the same individual who was arrested in Hialeah in August 2018, accused of having raped his own seven-year-old daughter on at least two occasions.

The press reports on the case indicated that the victim, who was 11 years old at the time, stated that Chávez, her biological father, sexually abused her when she was seven.