A Fort Lauderdale man has lost his U.S. citizenship after a federal judge ruled that he obtained it through fraud, following a conviction for child pornography offenses that occurred before he became a naturalized citizen.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith ordered the revocation of the citizenship of Renzo William Alegre, 25, a native of Peru, invalidating his Certificate of Naturalization. Alegre was also sentenced to 150 days of home detention and one year of probation after pleading guilty to unlawfully obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Court records show Alegre applied for naturalization in March 2019. On his application, he answered “no” when asked whether he had ever committed a crime or offense for which he had not been arrested. He repeated that response during his immigration interview in October 2019 and was granted citizenship later that same month.
In September 2020, Alegre was arrested on charges involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He was later convicted of possessing at least 600 images of CSAM and sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release.
During court proceedings, Alegre admitted that he had been receiving and downloading CSAM for roughly a year prior to his arrest, a period that included the time he submitted his citizenship application and completed his interview.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said citizenship is not meant to protect individuals who obtain it through deception.
“United States citizenship is a privilege, not a shield for deception,” Quiñones said. “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 investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in Fort Lauderdale, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Latoya C. Brown prosecuted the case.
Additional details and court documents related to the case are available through the Southern District of Florida’s website and public court records under case number 25-cr-60161.