DOJ Moves to Denaturalize Mastermind Behind Fraud Scheme

Prosecutors say Kazeem’s crimes occurred before he became a citizen but were concealed during the naturalization process.

A banner at the Department of Justice in Washington on Feb. 21, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to revoke the citizenship of a naturalized Nigerian citizen found guilty of a multimillion-dollar tax fraud scheme.

The DOJ announced the denaturalization complaint filed against Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem on March 18, citing 19 counts of mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. 

Kazeem was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $12 million in restitution.

However, in December of 2024, President Joe Biden commuted Kazeem’s sentence.

“The Trump administration will not permit wrongdoers to retain the U.S. citizenship that they were never entitled to in the first place,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. 

“U.S. citizenship is a privilege, and we will continue to ask courts to revoke a status that was obtained through fraud and deceit.”

According to the DOJ’s complaint, Kazeem’s crimes, for which he was convicted in 2017, were committed before his naturalization, but were concealed during the process. 

The agency posits that the crimes should have precluded him from becoming a naturalized citizen. 

Kazeem was linked to 10,139 fraudulent federal tax returns, connected to more than $91 million in refunds. He successfully collected $11.6 million in refunds. 

The scheme resulted in the theft of information from 259,000 victims, some of whom had their identities purchased by a hacker.

Kazeem’s case is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to remove bad actors from the United States. 

Included in that push was a court-martialed sex offender, and just one day before Kazeem’s case was announced, the DOJ confirmed the revocation of the citizenship of a man who committed fraud during his naturalization process.

Homeland Security Investigations in Miami worked on the case involving a Haitian-born naturalized citizen who defrauded COVID-19 relief programs of millions of dollars.

Joff Stenn Wroy Philossaint, 25, of Fort Lauderdale, allegedly concealed his fraud from immigration officials.

Philossaint and his co-conspirators submitted around 40 fraudulent loan applications, obtaining approximately $3.8 million in loan proceeds. 

“United States citizenship is one of the greatest privileges our nation can offer, and it must be earned honestly,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.

“The court’s order revoking his citizenship restores accountability and reinforces a simple principle: if you lie to obtain immigration benefits and commit federal crimes, you will lose what you unlawfully gained.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement on X that current laws make the revocation a difficult process.

“When a naturalized citizen commits terrorism in the United States, current law makes revoking citizenship extremely difficult unless fraud in the naturalization process can be proven,” Patel said on March 17.

“That gap leaves serious national security concerns, and it’s a reality we have to confront head-on.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) has been leading the charge to pass the SCAM Act, which expands the category for denaturalization of those who come to the United States and commit fraud.