A federal jury in Miami has delivered a guilty verdict against Orlando Chavez, a 43-year-old man previously convicted of child molestation, for naturalization fraud stemming from his false responses on his U.S. Citizenship application. According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, evidence presented during the trial revealed that Chavez had offered false answers under penalty of perjury.
Chavez, who was born in Cuba, applied for naturalization on July 14, 2017. During the application process, and later in an interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer, he denied ever being involved in any sort of sexual misconduct or criminal activities for which he was not arrested. However, these statements were blatantly at odds with his Oct. 2019 conviction on two counts of child abuse. He was found to have abused a minor under 12 during 2014 and was subsequently given a 14-month prison sentence and five years' probation, as stated in the release. The Naturalization Oath of Allegiance he took in April 2018 has been rendered void as his citizenship will be automatically revoked due to the guilty verdict.
Following a two-day trial, Chavez's sentencing is set for Jan. 8, with U.S. District Judge Roy Altman to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The conviction also comes as part of Operation False Haven, an initiative by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to identify and prosecute individuals who have fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship, especially those with convictions for heinous offenses such as child molestation.
The case against Chavez was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Shaw and Assistant U.S. Attorney Yisel Valdes. More details on this case and its developments can be found on the official website for the Southern District of Florida's District Court, as well as in the case docket available online. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe, as well as officials from ICE and USCIS, have been promptly making announcements regarding the case conclusion and its implications for justice and immigration integrity.
