The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this Wednesday that it seeks to revoke the citizenship and subsequently deport Cuban-American Yosmaikel Rodríguez Pérez, who was convicted of participating in a Medicare fraud of nearly $900,000.
In a post shared on its social media, the federal agency identified Rodríguez Pérez as a naturalized citizen originally from Cuba and stated that the process of denaturalization is already underway under the administration of President Donald Trump.
"Yosmaikel Rodríguez Pérez, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Cuba, faces denaturalization and deportation," stated ICE.
The agency recalled that Rodríguez Pérez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and money laundering related to the operation of an alleged medical clinic. As explained, the crimes were committed before he obtained U.S. citizenship, though the conviction came after he had been naturalized.
"Under the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the United States began the denaturalization process, claiming that Rodríguez Pérez fraudulently obtained citizenship," ICE added.
The case was made public last week by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which filed a civil suit to revoke the citizenship of a resident of Miami-Dade County.
According to the accusation, Rodríguez Pérez obtained permanent residence in 2004 and became a naturalized citizen in 2018, but deliberately concealed his criminal activity during both immigration processes.
The authorities assert that between April 2014 and August 2016, he participated, along with two other individuals, in a fraud scheme from a medical center that paid bribes to pharmacy owners to attract Medicare beneficiaries, issued medically unnecessary prescriptions, forged documentation, and submitted fraudulent claims totaling $886,694 to the federal program.
Rodríguez Pérez signed a plea agreement and was sentenced to 19 months in prison, in addition to three years of supervised release and the payment of $886,649 in restitution to the federal government.
The Department of Justice claims that the Cuban-American did not meet the "good moral character" requirement needed to obtain citizenship, as he allegedly lied under oath and concealed facts that, had they been known, would have prevented his naturalization.
The lawsuit is part of the Trump administration's effort to revoke citizenship from individuals whom authorities claim acquired it through fraud or deception. Rodríguez Pérez is among several cases pursued this year in South Florida, where the federal government has intensified denaturalization actions.
If the government succeeds in revoking his U.S. citizenship, Rodríguez Pérez would be exposed to a deportation process, a step that ICE has already made clear it intends to pursue.
Related videos:
Filed under: