Romanian National Sentenced For Unlawful Procurement Of United States Citizenship

BOISE — Adrian Briciu, 32, a Romanian national residing in Sun Valley, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to three years of probation and a $1,000 fine for unlawful procurement of United States citizenship, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also entered an order revoking Briciu’s fraudulently obtained naturalization and United States citizenship. Brici pleaded guilty to the charge on September 25, 2014.

According to court documents, a group of Romanians and citizens of other foreign countries living in the Sun Valley area entered into sham marriages with U.S. citizens in order to falsely obtain U.S. citizenship. Briciu married a U.S. citizen and then applied for U.S. citizenship based upon that marriage. In applying for naturalization, and ultimately citizenship, Briciu lied to Federal authorities about his place of residence and with whom he was living. Shortly after being granted U.S. citizenship, Briciu and his U.S. citizen wife divorced.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously pursuing this kind of fraud,” said Olson. “We are committed to protecting the integrity of the United States immigration system and those who lawfully seek citizenship.”

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).