Haitian National Denaturalized After $3.8 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

Federal authorities announced Tuesday that a Haitian-born man has been stripped of his United States citizenship following a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. Joff Stenn Wroy Philossaint, a 25-year-old resident of Fort Lauderdale, lost his legal status after investigations revealed he defrauded pandemic relief programs during his naturalization process.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the closure of the citizenship case on March 24, 2026. The announcement follows a court order signed by U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith, who determined that Philossaint illegally procured his citizenship through material misrepresentation.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Miami led the effort to uncover the fraud, which targeted federal assistance intended for struggling small businesses. Investigators found that between April 2020 and May 2021, Philossaint orchestrated a scheme to obtain approximately $3.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

He utilized companies he owned or controlled to submit dozens of fraudulent loan applications, often inflating revenues and payroll figures to secure larger payouts. Philossaint also prepared fraudulent applications for others in exchange for kickbacks, personally receiving over $500,000 from the illegal enterprise.

Crucially, this criminal activity overlapped with his efforts to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Philossaint originally applied for citizenship in February 2020 and appeared for a sworn naturalization interview on December 15, 2020.

During that interview, he falsely denied committing any crimes or making misrepresentations to obtain public benefits. Based on those false statements, he was granted citizenship on February 9, 2021, while the fraud scheme was still active.

In 2023, he was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges and being convicted of obtaining citizenship contrary to law. The Department of Justice, under the administration of President Donald Trump, has emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for individuals who obtain legal status through deception.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones stated that the court’s decision restores accountability to a process that requires absolute honesty from all applicants. Philossaint now faces potential deportation to Haiti once he completes his federal prison sentence.