The United States has filed denaturalization actions in various district courts against 25 individuals, including three Nigerians, accused of serious offenses.
The offences ranged from attempted first-degree m8rder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to k!ll, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and aggravated s3xual assault of a child.
The United States Department of Justice announced this in a statement on Monday, August 3, 2026.
The three Nigerians, Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, 56, Yetunde Folake Okaniyi, 56, and Vivian Chike Obichere, 72, are accused of obtaining American citizenship through fraud, sham marriage, concealed identities, or wilful misrepresentation during naturalisation proceedings.
“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation,” the statement read.
The complaints were filed between July 20 and Aug. 3, 2026.
Since Jan. 20, 2025, the Justice Department has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints, the most in recorded history.
“U.S. citizenship is one of our nation’s highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct — including by concealing violent crimes, s3xual offenses against children, fraudulent identities, and other disqualifying facts.
“Today’s filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history, but they are only the beginning. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool available to protect the integrity of the naturalization process and the safety of the American people.”
“Today marks the largest denaturalization surge in recorded history,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“Every one of these individuals committed crimes incompatible with U.S. citizenship. We are moving at record speed to denaturalize those who sought to deceive the federal government and abuse the naturalization process.”
“On July 21, the United States filed a case in the District of Massachusetts seeking the denaturalization of Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan because he obtained his citizenship under a fake identify, after he was already subject to an order of deportation under his true identify,” the statement read.
“Before Mr. Obasohan, a native of Nigeria, became a permanent resident and later naturalized as a U.S. citizen under the name Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, he was previously ordered to be deported from the United States under the name Tinosa Joe Aigbedion. At no point during his naturalization proceedings did Mr. Obasohan disclose that he previously used the name Tinosa Joe Aigbedion or that he had a current order of deportation pending against him.
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“The United States has filed a five-count complaint against Mr. Obasohan seeking his denaturalization on the grounds that he was statutorily ineligible to naturalize, never lawfully obtained his permanent residence, and made numerous material misstatements to immigration officials. (District of Massachusetts).
“On July 31, the Department of Justice filed a case in the District of Maryland seeking the denaturalization of Yetunde Folake Olaniyi, also known as Folake Rosemary Thomas, a native of Nigeria. Olaniyi was ordered removed from the United States and rather than report for her scheduled removal flight, she adopted the identity of Folake Rosemary Thomas and entered into a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen, notwithstanding that she was already married to another Nigerian citizen. Through this sham marriage and by concealing her true identity, Olaniyi was granted a green card through her spouse. Three years later, Olaniyi naturalized as Folake Rosemary Thomas.
“In 2014, Olaniyi (as Thomas) was convicted in federal court for passport fraud after fingerprint checks revealed her true identity to be Olaniyi.
“The seven-count civil Complaint alleges Olaniyi was ineligible for a spousal green card and naturalization through her spouse because her marriage to the U.S. citizen was both a sham and legally invalid, that Olaniyi obtained her naturalization through a litany of willful misrepresentations of material facts, and that Olaniyi lacked the requisite good moral character required for naturalization. (District of Maryland).
“On July 30, the Department of Justice filed a denaturalization action in the Northern District of California seeking the denaturalization of Vivian Chike Obichere.
“Ms. Obichere is a native of Nigeria who naturalized as a United States citizen in 2013, and represented throughout her naturalization proceedings that she had never committed crimes for which she was not arrested, had used only one alias while in the United States, had not taken trips outside of the United States during the relevant period, and had never given misleading information to any United States official.
“However, she later pled guilty to False Application and Use of a Passport, and admitted the falsity of all of those attestations.
“Specifically, Ms. Obichere admitted that she had concealed, during her naturalization proceedings, that she had previously applied for and used a passport with the name and identifying information of another person, who was a United States citizen.
“Accordingly, the Department of Justice is pursuing revocation of Ms. Obichere’s naturalization on three counts related to her statutory ineligibility for denaturalization as a person barred from establishing good moral character, and one count of illegal procurement of naturalization by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation. (Northern District of California).”