Convicted Maryland child rapist stripped of U.S. citizenship after federal ruling
Greenbelt, MD – A federal court has revoked the U.S. citizenship of a Maryland man convicted of repeatedly raping a child, ruling that he obtained naturalization by concealing his crimes and lying during the immigration process.
On Monday, the U.S. District Court in Maryland granted a Justice Department motion to denaturalize Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara, whose 2017 conviction for second-degree rape involved a victim under the age of 14. Court documents revealed that Graciano Lara sexually assaulted the child over a period of four years and threatened her to keep the abuse hidden.
The Justice Department filed suit in November 2024 to revoke his naturalization, arguing that Graciano Lara lacked the required good moral character to become a U.S. citizen and had provided false testimony during the naturalization process. The court agreed, finding that his citizenship had been fraudulently obtained through willful misrepresentation and the concealment of material facts.
Graciano Lara pleaded guilty in Maryland state court to charges involving repeated sexual intercourse with the minor. Despite his conviction, he had previously obtained U.S. citizenship by lying to immigration officials.
The case was brought under Operation Prison Lookout, a joint initiative by the Justice Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and prosecute individuals who fraudulently obtained naturalization after committing serious crimes, particularly sexual offenses against minors.
This case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, with support from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE’s legal team.
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Key Points
- Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara had U.S. citizenship revoked due to past rape conviction
- Court ruled he obtained naturalization through lies and concealment
- Case part of national DOJ and ICE initiative targeting fraudulent naturalizations