Dominican Man Admits to Fraudulently Obtaining United States Citizenship

CAMDEN, N.J. - A native of the Dominican Republic admitted, on August 25, 2026, to fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

Carlos Gonzalez-Rodriguez, a/k/a/ Braulio Cepeda-Rodriguez, 41, a native of the Dominican Republic, pled guilty today to fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship in a hearing in Camden federal court before District Court Judge Karen M. Williams. According to statements made in court and documents filed in the case, Gonzalez-Rodriguez is a native of the Dominican Republic who was previously deported from the United States after being convicted of attempted armed robbery. Gonzalez-Rodriguez re-entered the United States using another person's identity. Gonzalez-Rodriguez subsequently applied for and obtained U.S. citizenship using the other person's identity. In his application for citizenship, Gonzalez-Rodriguez lied about his name, date of birth, criminal history, and history of deportation.

The count of fraudulent obtaining U.S. citizenship has a maximum penalty of ten years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of three years of supervised release. In addition, the sentencing court will revoke Gonzalez-Rodriguez's citizenship at the time of sentencing. Sentencing is scheduled for February 1, 2027.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane in Camden.

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Defense counsel: Jenny Hurwitz, Areeb Salim, Assistant Federal Public Defenders