The Department of Justice has stripped Nicholas Eshun, a former U.S. Marine, of his citizenship following a conviction for sexual misconduct involving a minor. Eshun, who moved to the U.S. from Ghana in 2011, became a citizen through a fast-tracked military naturalisation program.
During a deployment in 2015, Eshun exchanged explicit messages and attempted sexual abuse with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, who was in fact an undercover Naval Criminal Investigative Service officer. He was court-martialed, convicted, and dishonourably discharged in May 2016.
Under U.S. law, service members who gain citizenship through the military but are dishonourably discharged before five years of service can be denaturalised. Eshun meets this criterion.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “This defendant betrayed the uniform and the trust of the nation. Citizenship is a privilege, not a shield for criminals.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate added, “This case shows our commitment to holding individuals accountable who obtained U.S. citizenship unlawfully. Thanks to NCIS investigators, we now know the risk he posed. He is no longer a Marine, and there is no legal basis for him to retain citizenship.”
Blanche concluded, “Those who commit heinous crimes will be held accountable. This is how we protect the country.”
