Naturalized US Citizens Who Betrayed Their Oath: The 'Noxious Nine' Cases
When Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegalese immigrant, raised his right hand and recited the Oath of Allegiance to become a US citizen in 2013, he pledged to defend the United States against all enemies. Thirteen years later, he became one. The 53-year-old Islamic fanatic murdered three people and wounded a dozen others after opening fire at Buford's Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, Texas, in a rampage linked to US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Wearing a 'Property of Allah' hoodie, he had previously expressed admiration for slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on social media. Police shot him dead at the scene.
Diagne is far from alone in dishonoring the privilege of naturalization. Across the country, dozens of naturalized citizens have become con artists, rapists, war criminals, killers, child sex offenders, and other perpetrators of offenses that should disqualify them from American citizenship. Many slipped through the net via lies and subterfuge. Now, President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is accelerating efforts to strip citizenship from foreign-born criminals and those who allegedly lied in their applications.
Efforts to Revoke Citizenship Intensify
Officials in the US Citizenship and Immigration Service have reportedly been instructed by the administration to denaturalize between 100 to 200 individuals per month in 2026. This marks a significant increase compared to the 24 cases filed throughout the four years of the Biden administration. The Justice Department is focusing on egregious cases, spotlighting what some call the 'noxious nine'—shocking examples now at the center of denaturalization efforts.
Philippe Bien-Aime: The Haitian 'Fraudster' Mayor
Philippe Bien-Aime, former mayor of North Miami, Florida, is accused of illegally entering the US from Haiti and using two identities to obtain citizenship. According to a February court filing in Miami, the 60-year-old allegedly used a photo-switched passport under the name Jean Philippe Janvier in 2001, was ordered removed, but stayed and adopted the name Bien-Aime. He married a US citizen to become a permanent resident, but the DOJ claims the marriage was fraudulent because he was already married to a Haitian citizen. He naturalized in 2006, and his alleged fraud was discovered through fingerprint comparisons. US Attorney Jason Quinones noted that his elected position makes the deception more serious.
Vladimir Volgaev: The Ukrainian Gun Runner
Vladimir Volgaev, a native of Ukraine, smuggled over 1,600 firearm components to Ukraine and Italy from 2011 while living in Sarasota, Florida. In 2020, he was sentenced to two years and nine months for gun running and scamming housing benefits. The DOJ alleges he concealed these crimes during his 2014-15 naturalization application, becoming a citizen in 2016. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate stated that Volgaev repaid US benefits with malice, defrauding federal agencies.
Kemal Mrndzic: The Bosnian War Prison Camp Guard
Kemal Mrndzic, living in Swampscott, Massachusetts, did not disclose his role as a supervisor at the notorious Celebici camp during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War in his citizenship application. Guards at the camp were accused of murder, beatings, sex assaults, and starvation. In October 2024, he was convicted of criminal fraud and sentenced to 65 months. The DOJ filed for denaturalization in December 2025, citing his false claims of persecution.
Sammy Yetisen: The Bosnian War Criminal
Sammy Yetisen arrived in the US as a Bosnian refugee in 1996, claiming persecution as a Muslim, and became a citizen in 2002. However, she omitted her service in the Zulfikar special forces unit and involvement in the Trusina Massacre, where six unarmed Croat prisoners were executed. Extradited to Bosnia in 2011, she admitted war crimes and served over five years. A US court revoked her citizenship in 2023, affirmed in July 2025.
Luis Miguel Fernandez Gaviola: The Peruvian Army Commander
Luis Miguel Fernandez Gaviola, a former deputy commander in the Peruvian military, is charged with eight extra-judicial killings. He concealed his military service and involvement in human rights abuses when applying for permanent residency in 2003 and naturalization later. The DOJ alleges he commanded a unit that killed eight residents in Peru in 1989. US Attorney Jason Reding Quinones emphasized the need to protect immigration system integrity.
Marieva Briceno: The Venezuelan Medicare Fraudster
Marieva Briceno, from Venezuela, scammed over $5.4 million from Medicare through fraudulent clinics in Detroit, Michigan. She obtained citizenship in 2009 by denying any crimes, but was charged with health care fraud in 2011, pleaded guilty, and served 60 months. The DOJ filed to revoke her citizenship in August 2025, with a judge ordering it in November.
Elliott Duke: The Brit Caught with Child Porn
Elliott Duke, a British citizen, enlisted in the US Army and became a naturalized American in 2012, listing only a speeding ticket on his application. However, while serving in Germany, he distributed child sex abuse material. Arrested in 2013, he was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to 20 years. The DOJ filed to strip his citizenship in February 2025, with a judge ordering it in June.
Gurmeet Singh: The Indian Kidnapper and Rapist
Gurmeet Singh, a former New York taxi driver from India, became a citizen in 2011. In 2012, he kidnapped and raped a passenger at knifepoint, concealing the crime during naturalization. He was sentenced to 20 years in 2014. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated the DOJ will continue to strip citizenship from those who commit heinous crimes and hide them.
Nicholas Eshun: The Ghanaian Sex Offender
Nicholas Eshun, from Ghana, enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 2011 and gained citizenship two years later. In 2015, he exchanged lewd messages with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl, leading to a court-martial and dismissal from the Marines. The DOJ filed for denaturalization in December 2025, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noting that citizenship is not a shield for criminals.
These cases highlight the ongoing challenges in ensuring that naturalization is reserved for those who uphold their oath, with the Trump administration pushing for more aggressive denaturalization to address fraud and criminality among naturalized citizens.
