Tampa man arrested for making false statements during naturalization process

TAMPA, Fla. — A federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday charging a Tampa man with making false statements in connection with his naturalization application. The indictment is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to the indictment, Georges Jean-Philippe, 48, aka Benedique Jean-Philippe, made false statements on his naturalization application to become a U.S. citizen. During his application for citizenship, Jean-Philippe, a citizen of Haiti, withheld information that he had previously been ordered deported from the United States under a different name. As a result, in 2008, he illegally obtained U.S. citizenship under a name different from the one he used in his initial dealings with U.S. immigration authorities.

HSI special agents arrested Jean-Philippe at his home Wednesday. A federal judge ordered him detained and held without bond.