On Monday, a U.S. District Court in Maryland granted a motion for judgment from the Department of Justice revoking the naturalization of a man convicted of raping a minor.
Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara, in September of 2017, was convicted of second-degree rape of a minor under the age of 14. He had intercourse with the victim over a four year period, and threatened them to keep his abuse a secret.
In 2024, the United States government sued to strip Lara of his citizenship, with the Court found that Lara lacked the decent moral character required to naturalize. The press release states "that he had provided false testimony for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit, and that he procured his naturalization by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation."
Lara entered the United States in 1991 and received a green card in 1997, before finally becoming a citizen in 2015.
“American citizenship is a sacred privilege that this monster should never have obtained,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue working to denaturalize criminals like these who lie about their past actions to take advantage of our immigration system.”
“Sex offenders who try to naturalize by hiding their unlawful acts from immigration officials must learn that if the United States finds out, the government will come after their citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Lara was investigated as part of Operation Prison Lookout, where the DOJ and ICE work to identify and prosecute sex offenders who have fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.