Justice Department Announces Civil Action Seeking to Remove Citizenship from Former Marine

WASHINGTON DC December 9th 2025

Our article presents the details contained within an official release from the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, which reported that a civil denaturalization action has been filed in the District of Maryland concerning a former service member who previously obtained citizenship through a military service pathway. The information that follows is drawn exclusively from those primary records without addition or interpretation.

According to the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, the civil complaint was brought against Nicholas Eshun, a native of Ghana, who became a naturalized citizen under a statutory provision designed for individuals serving in the armed forces of the United States. That provision grants an expedited naturalization process to those who complete the required period of honorable service. The department stated that this same servicemember later received a dishonorable discharge following a court martial proceeding that resulted in a conviction related to conduct carried out during an undercover investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE reported that the defendant had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in October 2011, approximately 10 months after entering the country. He naturalized in 2013 during his military service. The department stated that in 2015, while stationed overseas, he engaged in communications with an individual he believed to be a 14 year old minor. That individual was in fact an undercover officer with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, as confirmed by the department’s release. The official account further noted that these communications led to a court martial and a conviction.

The UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE stated that the United States Marine Corps dishonorably discharged the defendant on May 16th 2016, marking the completion of approximately 4.5 years of service. According to the department, this period does not meet the statutory requirement of 5 years of honorable service necessary to retain citizenship obtained through this special military provision. Under the cited statute, identified by the department as section 1440 subsection c of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a person who naturalizes through military service but later receives a dishonorable discharge before completing the required term is subject to civil denaturalization proceedings.

Statements included in the department’s announcement noted that senior officials expressed the government’s intention to use lawful civil processes in circumstances where citizenship was obtained through a statutory method and later determined to lack a valid legal basis. Their remarks were framed around the requirements of the statute itself and the investigative findings supplied by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE also confirmed the offices contributing to the case. These include the Office of Immigration Litigation within the Civil Division, the Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor within Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. No additional findings, implications, or projected outcomes were included in the official record beyond the filing of the civil action.

Our article reflects only the factual elements recorded in the announcement by the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, without editorial interpretation or commentary. Civil denaturalization proceedings remain allegations until adjudicated by the court that receives the filing.

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Sources

Primary First Hand Sources
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Office of Public Affairs press release titled Justice Department Seeks to Denaturalize a Court Martialed Sex Offender dated December 8th 2025