A federal grand jury has indicted Cyril Domaquik Clemens, a 71-year-old U.S. citizen originally from Liberia, on charges of naturalization fraud. The indictment alleges that Clemens made false statements under oath during his application for U.S. citizenship and in an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Court documents state that Clemens answered “No” to questions about whether he had ever forced someone to have sexual contact or committed a crime for which he was not arrested. He became a naturalized citizen on February 19, 2021.
In April 2023, Clemens pleaded guilty in Durham County Superior Court to three counts of indecent liberties with a child. He was sentenced to between 16 and 29 months in prison and required to register as a sex offender. The abuse reportedly began when the victim was four years old and continued for over ten years, from November 2011 through March 2022. Authorities say Clemens was not arrested until after obtaining citizenship, so immigration officials were unaware of his criminal activity at the time of his naturalization.
If convicted on the three-count indictment, Clemens faces up to 30 years in prison and automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship.
“Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. ICE ERO officers and HSI agents assigned to the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force are investigating the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative designed to aggressively target child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship. USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security Division is assisting the initiative. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is prosecuting the case.”
Additional court records are available through the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or via PACER by searching Case No. 5:25-CR-151-FL-RN.
