MIAMI – Joff Stenn Wroy Philossaint, a 25-year-old man from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been stripped of his U.S. Citizenship after being convicted of defrauding COVID-19 relief programs of $3.8 million and concealing his criminal activity during the naturalization process, according to a Justice Department announcement on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith revoked Philossaint’s citizenship following a determination that he illegally obtained the status by providing false statements to immigration officials. The decision follows Philossaint’s guilty plea to three conspiracy charges – conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to launder money, and unlawful procurement of citizenship – and a jury’s finding that he obtained citizenship contrary to law.
“United States citizenship is one of the greatest privileges our nation can offer, and it must be earned honestly,” stated U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant built his path to citizenship on false statements while stealing millions from programs meant to keep slight businesses alive during the pandemic. The court’s order revoking his citizenship restores accountability and reinforces a simple principle: if you lie to obtain immigration benefits and commit federal crimes, you will lose what you unlawfully gained.”
Between April 2020 and May 2021, Philossaint engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds. He utilized companies he owned or controlled and prepared fraudulent loan applications for others in exchange for kickbacks. These applications contained materially false representations regarding applicants’ revenues and payrolls. In total, Philossaint and his co-conspirators submitted 40 fraudulent applications, securing approximately $3.8 million in loan proceeds. Philossaint personally profited from the scheme, receiving roughly $549,000 through loan proceeds and kickbacks.
Philossaint initially applied for U.S. Citizenship in February 2020, prior to the commencement of the fraudulent activity. During a sworn naturalization interview on December 15, 2020, he concealed his involvement in the fraud scheme and falsely denied any criminal activity or misrepresentations to obtain public benefits. These false statements enabled him to unlawfully obtain U.S. Citizenship on February 9, 2021.
Philossaint was initially charged on September 8, 2022. He was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison on June 26, 2023. The court formally granted the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s motion to revoke his citizenship on February 23, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; the FBI, Miami Field Office; IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office; and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Osborne and Shannon O’Shea Darsch prosecuted the case.
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