NEW BERN, N.C. — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services assisted in an investigation that resulted in the sentencing of Cyril Domaquik Clemens, 72, a native of Liberia, for naturalization fraud. On Sept. 17, a federal judge sentenced Clemens to time served. The court also revoked Clemens’ naturalized U.S. citizenship and judicially ordered him to self-deport at his own expense. Clemens pleaded guilty to naturalization fraud on June 18. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Ellis Boyle made the announcement.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.