A federal judge has revoked the U.S. citizenship of a Fort Lauderdale man after determining he obtained it through fraud, following a conviction for child pornography offenses that predated his naturalization.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith issued the order against Renzo William Alegre, 25, originally from Peru, canceling his Certificate of Naturalization. Alegre was also sentenced to 150 days of home detention and one year of probation after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully procuring citizenship or naturalization.
According to court records, Alegre applied for U.S. citizenship in March 2019. On his application, he answered “no” to a question asking if he had ever committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested. He reaffirmed this answer during his October 2019 immigration interview and was subsequently granted citizenship later that month.
In September 2020, Alegre was arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He was later convicted of possessing at least 600 images of CSAM and sentenced to four years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release.
During legal proceedings, Alegre admitted to having received and downloaded CSAM for about a year before his arrest, which included the time before and during his citizenship application process.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said, “United States citizenship is a privilege, not a shield for deception. This defendant lied to obtain citizenship while actively engaging in crimes that exploit children. When citizenship is procured by fraud, the law requires that it be revoked. Our Office will act decisively to protect children and to preserve the integrity of our immigration and naturalization system.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fort Lauderdale and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Latoya C. Brown.
Further information and related court documents are available through the Southern District of Florida’s website or public access to court electronic records under case number 25-cr-60161.
