The Justice Department (DOJ) is seeking to revoke the citizenship of a former Olympian and gymnastics coach who has been charged with the sexual abuse of at least three minor female athletes.
José Vilchis, 68, has been accused of lying on his immigration application when he concealed that he had allegedly sexually assaulted minor victims in the 1980s and 1990s.
The 68-year-old is now currently facing 18 charges for sexually assaulting a minor in 2013 and 2014, separate to the allegations from the 1980s.
“This individual’s abuse of his position of authority and trust to prey on his students is reprehensible, and but for his fraud on our immigration process, he never would have been granted a green card and never would have been permitted to naturalize as a U.S. citizen,” Hunt added.
Vilchis, who is a native of Mexico, became a permanent resident in 1991 and a naturalized citizen in 1997. He competed for Mexico in the men’s gymnastics at the 1968 Summer Olympics and has been training gymnasts at various locations in the Northern District of Illinois for more than 30 years, according to the complaint.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the citizenship of a naturalized U.S. citizen may be revoked if it was illegally procured, or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.
“Vilchis fraudulently gained U.S. citizenship by lying about the horrific, ongoing crimes he was committing against innocent children,” acting ICE Director Matthew T. Albence said in the statement.
“His crimes and his fraud have justifiably returned to haunt him as the government pursues his denaturalization. The United States will not allow itself to be a safe haven for sexual predators,” Albence added.
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at the time that fraud is “a betrayal of the American people’s generosity.”
“It is especially appalling when it also involves the sexual abuse of children. The Department of Justice has a duty to prosecute these crimes vigorously, particularly so for individuals who commit fraud in the naturalization process,” Sessions said.