Related videos:
A Cuban from Miami is facing federal charges for posing as a doctor and using the credentials of a deceased neurologist to help 14 individuals obtain U.S. citizenship without meeting the mandatory requirements of English and civics education.
Eduardo Javier Ibarra Arrowsmith, 61 years old, was charged this Thursday through a criminal complaint with fraud and misuse of immigration documents, as well as aggravated identity theft, according to the statement from the Department of Justice for the Southern District of Florida.
Ibarra, described by authorities as a convicted criminal who posed as a licensed physician, assumed the identity of a deceased neurologist from Miami-Dade County.
Using the name, the National Provider Identification Number, and the Florida medical license number of the deceased doctor, Ibarra fraudulently completed and signed at least 34 USCIS N-648 forms, the document that certifies disabilities to exempt naturalization applicants from the English and civics tests.
The scheme operated between February 2023 and November 2025, during which 14 applicants managed to obtain U.S. citizenship without going through the required tests.
Form N-648 is a legitimate mechanism of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that allows individuals with documented physical or mental disabilities to be exempt from those requirements.
The abuse of this form through false medical certifications had been a known vulnerability in the system. USCIS tightened controls in June 2025, requiring doctors to specifically explain how the disability prevents meeting the requirements, but Ibarra's scheme had already been in operation for more than two years by then.
The case of Ibarra is part of the National Operation Against Fraud in the Health System 2026 by the Department of Justice, which resulted in charges against 455 defendants nationwide, including 90 licensed doctors and other healthcare professionals, for over 6.5 billion dollars in false claims.
In the Southern District of Florida alone, charges have been filed against 12 defendants in schemes amounting to over 4 billion dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs.
The federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones was emphatic in announcing the operation: "If you choose to exploit our healthcare system for personal gain, expect to lose your money, your assets, and your freedom."
The agencies investigating the Ibarra case include the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and USCIS itself.
The case is being processed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah P. Dorman of the Southern District of Florida. This type of immigration fraud is not new in South Florida: previous cases of Cubans convicted of Medicare fraud involving identity theft have resulted in sentences of several years in prison.
The national operation, which the Department of Justice describes as the largest coordinated effort of its kind in the institution's history, covered 56 federal districts, 45 states and territories, and resulted in the seizure of more than 182 million dollars in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets.
Filed under: