Washington: An Indian-origin businessman convicted in a visa fraud case is among 17 naturalised Americans facing the prospect of losing their US citizenship as federal authorities step up efforts to revoke citizenship obtained through fraud or misrepresentation.

Neeraj Sharma, 50, the owner of New Jersey-based staffing company Magnavision LLC, has been named in a fresh round of denaturalisation proceedings announced by the US Department of Justice. Officials allege Sharma fraudulently secured H-1B visas for foreign workers and later provided false information while pursuing American citizenship.

According to court documents, Sharma submitted 11 H-1B visa petitions claiming that the beneficiaries would work for a major global financial institution. Investigators alleged the applications were backed by forged documents, including letters carrying fabricated signatures of company executives.

Federal authorities contend that Sharma failed to disclose his involvement in criminal conduct during his naturalisation process. The Justice Department said he falsely testified under oath during a citizenship interview in 2017, despite offences linked to the visa fraud scheme having already occurred.

Sharma became a US citizen in December 2017. He was later convicted of fraud and misuse of visas for activities prosecutors said took place between April 2015 and April 2017.

His case is one of 17 found by the Justice Department as part of a broader crackdown on individuals accused of obtaining US citizenship unlawfully. Under American law, citizenship granted through concealment of material facts, fraud or deliberate misrepresentation can be revoked through court proceedings.

Announcing the latest actions, US officials said citizenship carries responsibilities and can be withdrawn when applicants are found to have deceived immigration authorities.

“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly. If you come here, break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the government would continue pursuing cases involving individuals who exploited the naturalisation process.

“When criminal aliens exploit the naturalisation process by breaking the law, there are consequences,” Blanche said, adding that the department maintains a "zero-tolerance policy" towards abuse of the citizenship system.

The latest denaturalisation actions target individuals accused or convicted of a wide range of offences, including child sexual abuse, exploitation of minors, money laundering, wire fraud and immigration-related crimes.

Among those named are a Haitian immigrant accused of sexually abusing his daughter, a man from the former Yugoslavia convicted of abusing a child under 15, a Mexican immigrant convicted of receiving sexually explicit images of minors, and a former Catholic priest born in Colombia accused of child sex abuse.

The list also includes the daughter of a convicted Colombian drug trafficker who is accused of laundering illicit proceeds, a Jamaican-born man convicted of wire fraud, a Cuban-born woman accused of defrauding a tribal casino, and a Filipino-born man who pleaded guilty to a child sex offence.

With PTI inputs