FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Peruvian-born registered sex offender has been stripped of his U.S. citizenship after federal authorities determined he lied about his criminal activity during the naturalization process. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith ordered the revocation of Renzo William Alegre’s citizenship and canceled his Certificate of Naturalization following his guilty plea to unlawful procurement of citizenship. In addition to losing his status, the 25-year-old Fort Lauderdale resident was sentenced to 150 days of home detention and one year of probation.
According to court records, the fraud occurred during Alegre’s 2019 application for citizenship. On his application and during an in-person interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Alegre was asked if he had ever committed a crime for which he had not been arrested. He answered “no” on both occasions and was subsequently granted citizenship on October 31, 2019. However, prosecutors revealed that Alegre was actively committing crimes involving the exploitation of children throughout that period.
The deception came to light in September 2020 when Alegre was arrested on child pornography charges. He was later convicted of possessing at least 600 images of child sexual abuse material and sentenced to 48 months in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release. As part of his factual proffer, Alegre admitted he had been downloading illicit material for approximately a year prior to his arrest—a timeline confirming that he was engaged in criminal conduct when he swore to immigration officials that he was law-abiding.
“United States citizenship is a privilege, not a shield for deception,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, whose office prosecuted the case alongside Homeland Security Investigations. “This defendant lied to obtain citizenship while actively engaging in crimes that exploit children. When citizenship is procured by fraud, the law requires that it be revoked.” The case was investigated by HSI Fort Lauderdale and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Latoya C. Brown.
