A Haitian-born man who took part in an extensive COVID-19 relief fraud scheme has had his U.S. citizenship revoked after a court found he lied during naturalization and illegally obtained benefits tied to that fraud.
A federal judge revoked the citizenship of Joff Stenn Wroy Philossaint, 25, of Fort Lauderdale after concluding he “illegally procured his citizenship by making false statements to immigration officials.” The decision follows an investigation that tied Philossaint to a multi-million dollar scheme that targeted pandemic relief programs. The court found his naturalization was obtained through deception rather than honest disclosure.
The scheme unfolded between April 2020 and May 2021 and involved companies Philossaint owned or controlled, plus loan applications he prepared for others in exchange for kickbacks. Investigators say many applications included materially false statements about applicants’ revenues and payroll. Those misrepresentations were central to securing emergency loans and other relief funds meant for struggling small businesses.
Prosecutors allege Philossaint and co-conspirators prepared and submitted about 40 fraudulent loan applications, resulting in roughly $3.8 million in proceeds. Of that total, Philossaint is accused of personally receiving approximately $549,000 in loan proceeds and kickbacks. Those figures reflect the scale of the scheme and how quickly small-business relief programs were exploited.
Philossaint applied for U.S. citizenship in February 2020 and later faced a sworn naturalization interview on Dec. 15, 2020. During that interview he allegedly concealed his role in the fraud scheme and denied committing crimes or making misrepresentations to obtain public benefits in the United States. Those denials are what the court determined amounted to illegal procurement of citizenship when his status was granted on Feb. 9, 2021.
Federal charges followed: on Sept. 8, 2022 he was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to launder money, and unlawful procurement of citizenship. Philossaint later pleaded guilty to the three conspiracy counts, and a jury found him guilty of illegally obtaining citizenship. The case moved through the courts with both guilty pleas and a conviction on the naturalization charge.
On June 26, 2023 Philossaint was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for his role in the fraud. On Feb. 23 the court granted a motion from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and formally revoked his U.S. citizenship. “United States citizenship is one of the greatest privileges our nation can offer, and it must be earned honestly,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant built his path to citizenship on false statements while stealing millions from programs meant to keep small businesses alive during the pandemic. The court’s order revoking his citizenship restores accountability and reinforces a simple principle: if you lie to obtain immigration benefits and commit federal crimes, you will lose what you unlawfully gained.”
The announcement named a string of federal agents and offices involved in the probe, reflecting a multiagency effort to untangle pandemic-era fraud. Investigators included the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service Miami Field Office, FBI Miami, IRS Criminal Investigation in Florida, and Homeland Security Investigations in Miami. Leadership on the investigative side included acting and special agents in charge across those agencies who coordinated evidence gathering and enforcement actions.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Osborne and Shannon O’Shea Darsch, with the case presented in federal court before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith. The legal record shows charges, pleas, a jury finding related to naturalization, a federal prison sentence, and the eventual civil-type remedy of denaturalization. The outcome underscores a legal consequence when false statements during immigration processes intersect with federal criminal activity.
