USCIS Supports Investigation Leading to Guilty Plea and Mandatory Denaturalization of Committed Sex Offender

SAN ANTONIO - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided key support in an investigation that led to Carlos Fabian Velez, 54, of San Antonio, pleading guilty to unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization.

Velez, a naturalized citizen, knowingly made false statements on his naturalization application, denying prior criminal activity despite evidence showing he had committed possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography since at least 2014. USCIS collaborated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to uncover fraud during the naturalization process, confirm Velez's identity through biometric evidence, and establish his criminal history.

The investigation was conducted by HSI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and was part of an HSI Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force case referred by the FBI. Velez's guilty plea follows his earlier conviction for distribution of child pornography, for which he was sentenced to 210 months in prison. He is now subject to mandatory denaturalization.

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