MIAMI, Fla. — An Enforcement and Removal Operations investigation has led to the guilty plea for a Guatemalan national who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship after being convicted of child molestation crimes that he committed prior to naturalization.

Dorian Velasquez, 43, pleaded guilty to having unlawfully obtained his U.S. citizenship and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and automatic revocation of his citizenship. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

“This man lied about committing heinous crimes against a child when applying for naturalization citizenship to the United States, threatening the safety of a child and seriously undermining the integrity of our immigration system,” said ERO Miami Field Office Director Garrett Ripa. “Thanks to our robust law enforcement partnerships, we are able to investigate and prosecute those who violate our laws, especially crimes against our children.”

According to court documents, Velasquez was born in Guatemala. On April 11, 2014, he submitted an application for naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. On his application, and under penalty of perjury, Velasquez responded “No” to the question “Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested?” On July 24, 2014, Velasquez was interviewed by a USCIS officer and provided the same response to the question while under oath and penalty of perjury. In a ceremony, on July 25, 2015, Velasquez took the Oath of Allegiance and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen.

In October 2019, Velasquez pled guilty to four counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child and was ordered to register as a sex offender. Velasquez committed the crimes over a period of four years, between July 19, 2011, and July 19, 2015. Velasquez was not arrested for these offenses until after he was naturalized.

Velasquez is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as well as the automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship.

ERO Miami officers initiated the investigation as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative designed to target child molesters and other egregious felons who were convicted after naturalizing for offenses they committed and concealed during the naturalization process. The operation has successfully produced criminal and civil cases against defendants convicted of serial rape, child molestation, incest, sodomy, child sexual abuse material, kidnapping, sex trafficking, murder, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, tax fraud, pill mill prescription fraud, embezzlement, aggravated identity theft and elder abuse.

Ripa, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, and USCIS Miami and Caribbean District Director Brett R. Rinehart made the announcement.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.