NEW YORK — A federal court in New York has revoked the U.S. citizenship of Gurmeet Singh, an India-born former taxi driver who was convicted of rape and kidnapping after concealing the crimes during his naturalisation process.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered judgment revoking Singh’s naturalisation. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case demonstrates that citizenship obtained through fraud can be challenged and revoked under federal law.
“American citizenship is not a shield for criminals,” Blanche said, adding that Singh had concealed the rape and kidnapping during the naturalisation process and that the department would continue pursuing denaturalisation referrals involving fraudulently obtained citizenship.
According to court records and the Justice Department, Singh entered the United States in February 1992 on a temporary visitor visa and later became a lawful permanent resident in June 2000 through a family-based immigration petition.
In May 2011, while working as a taxi driver, Singh transported a female passenger who fell asleep during the ride. Prosecutors said he drove her to a secluded location, where she awoke to find him holding a knife to her throat. Court records state that he restrained and assaulted the woman before she managed to escape and seek help.
Singh subsequently concealed the incident during his naturalization proceedings and became a U.S. citizen on October 19, 2011, according to the Justice Department. He was later convicted in New York of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated felony and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Justice Department filed its denaturalization complaint against Singh on February 2, 2026. The federal court’s August 26 order revoked his naturalization and requires him to surrender his citizenship documents.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said Singh obtained the privileges of U.S. citizenship by concealing serious criminal conduct and that the Justice Department would continue working to protect the integrity of the naturalization process.
The case highlights the federal government’s authority to seek denaturalization when citizenship was illegally obtained or obtained through concealment of material facts or willful misrepresentation.
Singh remains incarcerated under his criminal sentence. His citizenship revocation is a separate legal proceeding from his underlying criminal conviction.