Convicted Child Molester Pleads Guilty to Naturalization Fraud

MIAMI - On Aug. 29, Dorian Velasquez, 43, a convicted child molester, pled guilty to naturalization fraud for having unlawfully obtained United States citizenship.

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 (USCIS). 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 U.S.CIS 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 United States 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 United States citizenship. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and District Director Brett R. Rinehart of USCIS Miami and Caribbean made the announcement.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Shaw for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case. The case was presented by ICE's ERO division in Miami as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing national initiative designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Rated court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20202.

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