Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Convicted Serial Child Rapist Who Fraudulently Obtained U.S. Citizenship

GREENSBORO – On December 20, 2023, the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Chief United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, entered an order revoking the naturalized U.S. citizenship of a convicted serial child rapist. The court held that defendant Gaetan Joseph Helard Lecompte, a native of Canada, illegally procured his U.S. citizenship. The court’s order was based on its finding that Lecompte lacked the good moral character required to naturalize because he had fraudulently concealed numerous sexual offenses in order to illegally procure citizenship.

According to court records, on July 17, 2009, Lecompte made a materially false statement under penalty of perjury on his naturalization application. In response to the question “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.” On October 5, 2009, Lecompte was interviewed in person and under oath by a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer. During the interview, Lecompte orally testified that he had never committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested. On October 29, 2009, Lecompte took the Oath of Allegiance and was granted U.S. citizenship.

On August 1, 2011, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Forsyth County, Lecompte was convicted of 52 felony offenses, including statutory rape, first degree sex offense with a child, indecent liberties with a child, and dissemination of obscene materials to a minor. Lecompte was sentenced to a life term of imprisonment. He confessed to having committed the offenses against five different child victims between 1991 and 2005. Lecompte was not arrested until after he naturalized, thus immigration officials were unaware of his crimes.

United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina made the announcement. The case was investigated by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Division as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative designed to aggressively target child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained citizenship. The case was jointly prosecuted by a Trial Attorney of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation Enforcement Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Zeller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina, with assistance from ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.

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