Convicted Child Rapist Sentenced for Naturalization Fraud and Judicially Denaturalized

RALEIGH, N.C. – Yesterday in federal court, Cruz Miguel Aguina, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle to eight months in prison following a guilty plea to immigration fraud. Moreover, Aguina was judicially denaturalized as a U.S. citizen.

According to court records, on July 3, 2019, Aguina fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application.  In response to the question “Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following:…Forcing, or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual contact or relations?” he answered “No.”  Also, in response to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.”

On June 16, 2022, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Johnston County, Aguina was convicted of statutory rape of a child.  He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between 240 and 348 months and ordered to register as a sex offender.  According to the transcript of plea and judgment issued by the court, Aguina confessed to having committed the crime from January 1, 2019, through December 30, 2019. Therefore, the offense was ongoing at the time he made the false statements for his naturalization application.    

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-253-1BO-RJ.