Cuban woman stripped of U.S. citizenship after concealing role in Florida casino fraud scheme, DOJ says
A Cuban-born woman has been stripped of her U.S. citizenship after federal authorities determined she concealed her involvement in a money laundering conspiracy tied to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme at a Florida casino, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release that a federal judge in Miami revoked the citizenship of Milagros Marileisis Acosta Torres on Oct. 14, ruling that she had obtained it illegally by providing false information during her naturalization process.
According to the DOJ, Acosta Torres became a U.S. citizen in 2015 despite having participated in a conspiracy to launder money stolen from a tribal casino in Florida.
Federal authorities said her husband and several other individuals stole millions of dollars from the casino by creating fraudulent credit vouchers.
Acosta Torres then participated in financial transactions involving the stolen money to conceal its fraudulent origins and avoid financial reporting requirements under federal and state law, according to the DOJ.
False statements during U.S. citizenship application
During her naturalization application and interview in 2015, Acosta Torres was asked whether she had ever committed a crime or offense for which she had not been arrested.
She answered "no," despite having participated in the money laundering conspiracy, federal authorities said.
The DOJ said those false statements were central to the court's determination that she had illegally obtained her citizenship.
In 2020, Acosta Torres was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $150,000 in restitution.
Federal court revokes citizenship
On June 8, the DOJ filed a civil complaint seeking to revoke Acosta Torres' naturalization.
On Oct. 13, both parties submitted a joint motion requesting that the court enter a consent judgment revoking her citizenship. The following day, a federal judge granted the request, formally revoking her U.S. citizenship.
The DOJ did not provide information about whether she now faces deportation proceedings.