- Indian-origin businessman Neeraj Sharma faces citizenship revocation in US fraud case
- Sharma allegedly submitted 11 fraudulent H-1B visa applications with forged documents
- He denied wrongdoing during his 2017 US citizenship application, which was approved
An Indian-origin businessperson is among 17 naturalised US citizens facing possible denaturalisation as the Trump administration escalates what officials are describing as one of the largest citizenship revocation drives in American history.
The US Department of Justice on Monday announced legal proceedings against the group, accusing them of obtaining American citizenship through fraud, concealment of information, or false statements made during the naturalisation process.
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Who Is Neeraj Sharma?
Among those named is Neeraj Sharma, a 50-year-old Indian-origin businessperson and former CEO of Magnavision LLC, a staffing firm based in New Jersey.
According to the Justice Department, Sharma submitted 11 fraudulent H-1B visa applications falsely claiming that foreign workers would be placed at a major global financial institution. The applications allegedly contained forged signatures of company executives and fabricated supporting documents, NDTV reported.
The Citizenship Fraud Allegation
The department further alleges that when Sharma applied for US citizenship in 2017, he denied having committed any offence for which he had not been arrested, denied providing false information to US authorities, and denied having lied to obtain immigration benefits.
USCIS approved his application and Sharma was granted citizenship in December 2017. He was subsequently convicted in a visa fraud case linked to activities carried out between 2015 and 2017. The Justice Department is now seeking to revoke his citizenship on the grounds that he concealed his wrongdoing and secured naturalisation through false representations.
Wider Denaturalisation Push
Sharma's case sits within a significantly broader enforcement initiative. The Justice Department said the 17 individuals targeted span a range of serious criminal backgrounds, including violent offences, crimes against minors, drug trafficking, and immigration-related violations.
Officials have described the drive as among the most expansive denaturalisation efforts ever undertaken by the federal government.
The move is consistent with the Trump administration's broader immigration enforcement posture, which has included aggressive action against both undocumented migrants and naturalised citizens accused of fraud in their path to citizenship.
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