USCIS Reports Naturalization Fraud Charge and Three Denaturalization Cases in North Carolina

A federal grand jury in Charlotte indicted a naturalized citizen from Bhutan for naturalization fraud, alleging he concealed prior child sexual abuse when applying for citizenship. Separately, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed civil denaturalization complaints against three other individuals accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud or concealment of immigration violations.

Key points

• Sha Bahadur Ghaley, 42, was indicted for allegedly lying about prior criminal conduct during his 2017 to 2018 naturalization process.
• Ghaley was naturalized in July 2018 and later pleaded guilty in 2024 to three counts of taking indecent liberties with children.
• The maximum penalty for naturalization fraud is stated as 10 years in prison, and Ghaley is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
• Civil denaturalization complaints were filed between June and August 2026 against Benjamin Hernandez, Han Xiong Chen, and Kevin Yun-Sang Kim.
• All three civil cases allege that naturalization was obtained through concealment of prior removal or deportation orders and false statements.
• USCIS supported the investigations, and the civil complaints represent allegations only, with no determination of liability yet made.

Who is affected

This affects naturalized U.S. citizens whose cases are specifically named in the announcement, and more broadly signals increased federal scrutiny of naturalization applications.

What to do