DOJ Alleges Fraud, Dual Identities, Sham Marriage in Denaturalization Complaint Filed February 18
Miami, FL – February 20, 2026 The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Philippe Bien-Aime, the Haiti-born former mayor of North Miami, accusing him of using dual identities and committing immigration fraud to obtain U.S. citizenship.
The lawsuit, filed February 18 in U.S. District Court in Miami, seeks to revoke Bien-Aime’s naturalization granted in 2006. Prosecutors allege he entered the United States illegally in the 1990s using a fraudulent “photo-switched” passport under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. In 2001, he was placed in removal proceedings and ordered deported but remained in the country.
The complaint claims Bien-Aime then adopted the Bien-Aime identity and entered into a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen — despite already being married in Haiti — to secure permanent resident status and eventual citizenship. During his adjustment of status and naturalization processes, he allegedly made numerous false statements, including denying any prior removal orders and misrepresenting his children and residential history.
The fraud was uncovered through fingerprint comparisons as part of the Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project, a joint initiative between USCIS and the DOJ that identified inconsistencies in his records.
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, is presiding over the restricted docket. Evidence includes marriage certificates, naturalization applications, the deportation order, divorce records, and birth certificates.
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Bien-Aime immigrated to Canada before settling in the United States. He worked in the automotive industry and became an entrepreneur in 2006. His political career began in 2013 when he was elected to the North Miami City Council. He won the mayoral race in 2019 and served until 2022, when he resigned to run for Miami-Dade County District 2 Commissioner — a bid he lost to Marleine Bastien.
The case is part of the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on immigration fraud and denaturalization efforts targeting individuals who allegedly obtained citizenship through misrepresentation or concealment of material facts.
If successful, denaturalization would strip Bien-Aime of U.S. citizenship, potentially leading to deportation proceedings. The former mayor has not yet publicly responded to the complaint.
L’Union Suite will continue to follow this high-profile case and its implications for the Haitian-American community in South Florida.
