US to strip Indian origin CEO Neeraj Sharma of citizenship: What was his fraud?

The United States Justice Department announced on Tuesday, June 9, that it has filed for denaturalisation actions against one Neeraj Sharma, the owner of a New Jersey-based staffing company Magnavision LLC, for allegedly signing and filing 11 fraudulent H-1B visa petitions. During his naturalisation interview, Neeraj had also lied about his past criminal conduct.

He became a US citizen in December 2017 but was later convicted of fraud and misuse of visas.

The letters submitted by Neeraj Sharma as supporting documents for H-1B petitions carried fake signatures of executives of the global financial institution, the justice department said. According to the charges filed against him, Neeraj Sharma “signed and filed eleven fraudulent H-1B visa petitions with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”).”

The department said that each petition that Neeraj Sharma filed included “false representations that the visa beneficiaries would be employed with a particular global financial institution, and also included letters on official corporate letterhead with forged signatures of the executives.”

Neeraj Sharma, the charges read, also “falsely asserted that he had never committed a crime or crime for which he was not arrested.” He also emphasised he had never “given any US Government officials any information or documentation that was false or misleading, and lied to any US government official to gain immigration benefits.”

As these assertions were filed by him, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved his application and he became a US citizen.

During verification, the department found that Neeraj Sharma had falsely made these assertions, and filed for denaturalisation actions.

“The United States seeks to revoke Defendant’s naturalization, pursuant to 8 USC § 1451(a), as an alien who illegally procured his naturalization by: (1) failing to disclose unlawful acts; (2) providing false testimony; and (3) concealment of a material fact and willful misrepresentation,” it said.

“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly. If you come here break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, “a naturalized US 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.”

Along with Neeraj Sharma, proceedings to revoke citizens have been initiated against 16 more persons who are accused of serious offences.

(With agency inputs)