A Nigerian-born woman whom the Justice Department says first obtained a U.S. passport using another person’s identity in 1992 has had her American citizenship revoked after a federal judge found she illegally procured her naturalization. Vivian Chike Obichere became a naturalized U.S. citizen in June 2013, a decade after she obtained lawful permanent resident status under her true identity. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín entered a consent judgment revoking and setting aside Obichere’s naturalization, effective as of June 19, 2013.
Obichere agreed to judgment against her on one of four counts, based on limited facts agreed to by both sides. She did not admit the government’s other allegations, and the court dismissed the remaining three counts without deciding whether they were proven. The cases come amid a major push by the Trump administration to revoke citizenship from some naturalized Americans.
At least 185 denaturalization cases were filed in the first 10 months of 2026, according to TRAC data. Filings rose sharply beginning in May, reaching 15 that month, 34 in June and a high of 50 in July, followed by 28 in August, 39 in September and 13 in October. The 2026 total already exceeds the roughly 125 cases filed nationwide between 2008 and 2025.
Obichere used the name, Social Security number, birthplace, and birth date of a U.S. citizen identified as “C.C.O.” to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport in 1992, the Justice Department said. She successfully renewed the passport in 2002, the department said. In 2003, Obichere became a lawful permanent resident under her real identity.
In 2012, she again tried to renew the passport issued under the C.C.O. identity while also applying to become a U.S. citizen under her real name, according to the Justice Department. Obichere was convicted in federal court in 2015 of False Statement in Application and Use of Passport, according to the Justice Department. The department said that during her naturalization interview, Obichere testified under oath that she had not used the name C.C.O.
The Justice Department said she knew that statement was false. The Justice Department filed its lawsuit seeking to revoke Obichere’s citizenship on July 30, 2026. The two sides later jointly asked the court to enter a consent judgment, and the court revoked her citizenship on October 13.
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