A federal jury in Miami has convicted a Cuban national for fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship after she hid her involvement in a multi-million-dollar healthcare fraud scheme on her naturalization paperwork, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Tania Rosa Rodriguez, 57, applied for citizenship in 2017 and was naturalized in 2018. On her application, Rodriguez stated under penalty of perjury that she had never committed a crime.
Court records show that at the time, Rodriguez was actively participating in a seven-year healthcare fraud conspiracy that resulted in about $4.6 million in fraudulent claims. The illicit scheme began before her citizenship application was submitted and continued after her naturalization was granted.
Following a federal trial, the jury found Rodriguez guilty of one count of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. She was previously convicted for her core role in the healthcare fraud scheme.
“American citizenship cannot be lawfully obtained through fraud and concealment,” said Miami U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones, in a statement. “While participating in a multi-million-dollar healthcare fraud conspiracy, this defendant sought U.S. citizenship and concealed her criminal conduct from the government. A federal jury has now held her accountable."
The prosecution was handled by the Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement Section, a specialized unit to target South Florida border security threats, immigration violations, and transnational smuggling.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Pierce and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson Dering prosecuted the case following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations Miami.
Rodriguez faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine her sentence at a later date.
