Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Maryland Man Who Repeatedly Raped Minor Victim

On September 15, a U.S. District Court in Maryland granted a Justice Department motion for judgment revoking the naturalization of convicted sex offender Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara. The government sued in November 2024 to strip Graciano Lara of his U.S. citizenship, based on his September 2017 conviction for second degree rape. Graciano Lara had pleaded guilty in Maryland state court to having vaginal intercourse with a minor, who was under 14 years old at the time. Indeed, Graciano Lara repeatedly had sexual intercourse with the victim over the course of a four-year period. Graciano Lara threatened his victim so that she would not disclose his abuse.

The Court found the government met its burden to show that Graciano Lara had lacked the requisite good moral character to naturalize due to his crimes, that he had provided false testimony for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit, and that he procured his naturalization by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.

“American citizenship is a sacred privilege that this monster should never have obtained,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue working to denaturalize criminals like these who lie about their past actions to take advantage of our immigration system.”

“Sex offenders who try to naturalize by hiding their unlawful acts from immigration officials must learn that if the United States finds out, the government will come after their citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

The case was investigated as part of Operation Prison Lookout, an ongoing national initiative involving the Justice Department and ICE to identify and prosecute sex offenders who have fraudulently obtained United States citizenship. This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Bradley M. Brinkman of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, General Litigation and Appeals Section, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from HSI and ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.