CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury in Charlotte has returned a criminal indictment charging Sha Bahadur Ghaley, 42, a naturalized citizen from Bhutan, with naturalization fraud, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.“It is a proud day for most people when they become a naturalized citizen of this great country,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Those who commit fraud to cheat their way into American citizenship take that opportunity from someone else. That is a federal crime, and we will hold them accountable.” “Naturalization fraud threatens the integrity of our immigration system and the trust placed in those who seek U.S. citizenship lawfully,” said Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Atlanta Field Office Director LaDeon Francis. “Through initiatives such as Operation False Haven, ERO will continue working with our federal partners to identify fraud, support criminal prosecutions, and uphold the rule of law.” According to allegations in the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Ghaley committed sexual crimes against a child in Charlotte. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with a Child as a result of those actions. The indictment alleges that, after committing those crimes, Ghaley obtained his U.S. citizenship fraudulently by lying during the naturalization process about having committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested (at that time) and failed to admit that, prior to applying for citizenship, he had knowingly committed sexual acts with a child. According to the indictment, on December 4, 2017, Ghaley submitted an application for naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). The indictment alleges that Ghaley lied on the citizenship application form by responding “No” to questions like “Were you ever involved in any way with … [f]orcing, or trying to force someone to have any kind of sexual contact or relations?” and “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” Ghaley signed the form under penalty of perjury, and certified that his answers were true and correct. On January 10, 2018, Ghaley appeared at the CIS office in Charlotte for a naturalization interview. During the interview, Ghaley swore under oath that his responses on the naturalization application were true and that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested. Ghaley was then granted U.S. citizenship in July 2018.In February 2024, Ghaley pleaded guilty to three counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with Children in state court. As part of that conviction, Ghaley was sentenced to serve between 32 and 58 months in prison and was ordered to register as a sex offender for 30 years. Immigration officials were not aware of his criminal actions until after he had gone through the naturalization process. Ghaley is currently in state custody and will be ordered to appear in federal court in Charlotte. The maximum penalty for naturalization fraud is 10 years in prison. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Division for their investigation of the case and credited Operation False Haven, which led to the charges against Ghaley. False Haven is an ongoing ERO initiative purpose-built to identify individuals who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.Civil Denaturalization ActionsThe U.S…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice