The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil case seeking to revoke the citizenship of Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, a Nigerian-born man convicted in a multimillion-dollar tax fraud and identity theft scheme.
Prosecutors say Kazeem unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing criminal conduct and by using a sham marriage to secure immigration status. The case follows his 2017 conviction on 19 counts, including mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft.
According to the Justice Department, the fraud scheme involved more than 259,000 stolen identities, over 10,000 fraudulent tax returns, and more than $11.6 million in fraudulent payouts.
The DOJ says the move is part of a denaturalization process that allows U.S. authorities to revoke citizenship obtained illegally or through fraud.
