# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 2- 32 96

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

W il ed Mah di Al-Aq ai li

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Weste rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - Kan sa s C it y

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Su bm it te d: Nov em

be r 19 , 20 13 Fil ed : J an ua ry

23 , 20 14

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re BENTON, BEAM, an d S HEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.

W il ed Mah di A l- A qa ili appe al s th e di st ric t co ur t’s gr an t of su m m ary jud gm en t 1

to th e Uni te d S ta te s, re su lt in g i n h is de na tu ral iz at io n. We affi rm

.

The Hon or ab le Sco tt O. W rig ht
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e W es te rn 1 Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.Al-Aq ai li is a na ti ve of Iraq an d b e c a me a pe rm an en t res id en t of th e Uni te d

St at es in 19 96

. On Mar ch 20
, 20 02
, Al-Aq ai li fil ed an ap pl ic at io n fo r na tu ral iz at io n wit h th e Im

m ig rat io n an d Natu ral iz at io n Serv ic e. Dur in g hi s ap pl ic at io n pr oc es s, AlAqa il i cert ifi ed at l e a s t th ree ti m es , on ce un de r oa th
, th at he ha d no t “ kn owi ng ly

co m m it te d an y cri m e or of

fen se , fo r whi ch [h e ha d] no t be en arre st ed .” Afte r m ak in g th es e c e r t i f

i cat io ns an d rece iv in g hi s na tu ral iz at io n, Al-Aq ai li pl ed gu il ty in th e Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Co ur t fo r th e W es te rn Dis tri ct of Mi ss ou ri to kn owi n g l y

co m m it ti ng th e cri m e of m ai l frau d be twee n Feb ru ary 25
, 20 02 an d Ja nu ary 14
, 20 03
, th e ti m e-fr am e rel ev an t t o h i s ap pl ic at io n pr oc es s in whi ch he cert ifi ed he ha d no t

co m m it te d an y un la wfu l act s. Al-Aq ai la was su bs eq ue nt ly co nv ic te d an d se nt en ced

.

Th e Uni te d St at es in it ia te d su it ag ai ns t Al-Aq ai li to rev ok e hi s ci ti zen sh i p
pu rs ua nt to 8 U.S.C. § 14 51 (a) and m ov ed fo r su m m ary jud gm en t clai m in g th at AlAqa il i il le ga ll y pr oc ur ed hi s na tu ral iz at io n du e t o h i s ( 1) fai lu re to po ss es s go od

m or al ch arac te r du rin g th e rel ev an t st at ut or y pe rio d an d (2 ) wil lfu l m is rep res en ta ti on

or co nc eal m en t of hi s cri m in al act

. Th e d is tri ct co ur t gr an te d th e Gov ern m en t’s

m ot io n on bo th co un ts

. As a res ul t, Al-Aq ai li ’s ad m is si on fo r ci ti z e ns hi p was

rev ok ed an d hi s Cert ifi cat e of Natu ral iz at io n was can cel le d. Al-Aq ai li ap pe al s, an d we affi rm

.

W e re v i e w th e di st ric t co ur t’s gr an t of su m m ary jud gm en t de no vo

. Cas ti ll o

v. Ri dg e, 44 5 F.3 d 10 57
, 10 60 (8 th Ci r. 20 06 ). “ Su m m ary jud gm en t is pr op er if th e

ev id en ce, vi ewed in th e li gh t m os t fa vo rab le to th e no nm ov in g pa rty, i nd ic at es th at th ere is no ge nu in e is su e of m at eri al fact an d th e m ov in g pa rty is en ti tl ed to jud gm en t

as a m at te r of la w.” Id

. The G o v e rn m en t ha s th e bu rd en in a de na tu ral iz at io n
pr oc eed in g to pr es en t “ cl ear, un eq ui v o c a l
, a nd co nv in ci ng ev id en ce” th at th e ci ti zen sh ip was il le ga ll y pr o c u r e d. Uni te d St at es v. Han sl
, 43 9 F.3 d 85 0, 85 3 (8 th Ci r. 20 06 ). Ci ti zen sh ip is il le ga ll y pr oc ur ed if an ap pl ic an t fai le d to co m pl y wit h th e
st at ut or y req ui rem en ts fo r na tu ral iz at io n. See Fed or en ko v. Uni te d St at es , 44 9 U.S.
49 0, 5 06 (19 81 ).

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-One st at ut or y req ui rem en t fo r na tu ral i zat io n is th at th e ap pl ic an t m us t ha ve
po ss es se d go od m or al ch arac te r du rin g th e fiv e-year pe rio d pr io r to th e ap p l i cat io n fo r na tu ral iz at io n a nd m ai nt ai ns su ch ch arac te r ev en up to th e ad m in is tra ti on of th e

oa th

. 8 U.S.C. § 14 27 (a); se e al so 8 C.F.R. § 31 6.1 0( a)(1 ). An ap pl ic an t la ck s go od

m or al ch arac te r if th e ap pl ic an t “[c ]o mm it te d un la wfu l act s th at ad ve rs el y refl ect
up on th e ap pl ic an t’s m or al ch arac te r” du rin g th e rel ev an t st at ut or y pe rio d. 8 C.F.R. § 31 6.1 0( b) (3 )(i ii ). Acts in vo lv in g m or al tu rp it ud e, su ch as a cri m e in whi ch frau d is an in gr ed ie nt , se e Ized on m wen v. I.N.S., 37 F.3 d 41 6, 41 7 ( 8 t h C ir. 19 94 ), ad ve rs el y refl ect up on th e ap pl ic an t’s m or al ch arac te r, se e 8 C.F.R. § 31 6.1 0( b) (2 )(i ).

Al-Aq ai li pr im ari ly arg ue s th at du rin g th e ti m e of hi s ap pl ic at io n an d

na tu ral iz at io n pr oc es s, he was un aware th at he ha d co m m it te d a cri m e an d, th us , di d

no t la ck go od m or al ch arac te r, pr es en t fal se te st im on y , or m is rep res en t or co nc eal hi s cri m in al act . W e d is ag ree.

Th e ev id en ce is cl ear th at Al-Aq ai li fai le d to po ss es s go od m or al ch ara c t e r du rin g t he rel ev an t s ta tu to ry pe rio d. In h is fed eral cri m in al cas e, Al-Aq ai li en te red

a pl ea ag reem en t in whi ch he ad m it te d to kn o win gl y co m m it ti ng th e cri m e of m ai l frau d, a cri m e Al-Aq ai li ad m it s be ga n ap pr ox i mat e l y o n e m on th pr io r to hi s
ap pl ic at io n fo r na tu ral iz at io n an d co nt in ue d whi le hi s ap pl ic at io n was pe nd in g. Acco rd in gl y , Al-Aq ai li co m m it te d th e c r i me du rin g th e pe rio d in whi ch he was

re q u i r e d t o po ss es s go od m or al ch arac te r, an d it is of no co ns eq ue nc e th at hi s

co nv ic ti on oc cu rred aft er he was al read y na tu ral iz ed

. See Uni te d St a t es v. Je an -Bap ti st e, 39 5 F.3 d 11 90
, 11 91 (1 1t h Ci r. 20 05 ) (h o ld in g th at “ a na tu ral iz ed ci ti zen w h o co m

m it te d cert ai n un la wfu l act s du rin g th e st at ut or y pe rio d pr io r to
ta ki ng th e oa th of al le gi an ce b ut fo r whi ch he was in di ct ed
, arre st ed an d co nv ic te d af te r na tu ral iz at io n st an ds to lo s e hi s pr eci ou s acq ui si ti on fo r la ck of go od m or al ch arac te r”). Mo reo ve r, Al-Aq ai li ’s ad m iss ion tha t he know ing ly co m

m it te d th e cri m e

co ll at eral ly es to ps hi m fro m rel it ig at in g th e is su e of whe th er he kn ew hi s co nd uc t was

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-il le ga l. See id

. at 11 94 ; se e al so Uni te d St at es v. Aka m o, 51 5 F. App ’x 24 8, 24 9 (5 th

Ci r. 20 12 ) (u np ub li sh ed pe r cu ria m ); Uni te d St at es v. Su arez , 66 4 F.3 d 65 5, 66 3 (7 th Ci r. 20 11 ).

Bec au se m ai l fr au d with ou t qu es ti on co nt ai ns th e el em en t o f frau d a nd , th us , is a cri m e in vo lv in g m or al tu rp it ud e, Al-Aq ai li ’s co m m is si on of m ai l frau d du rin g th e rel ev an t st a t u t o r y pe rio d of hi s na tu ral iz at io n pr oc es s de m on st rat es th at he la ck ed

go od m or al ch arac te r an d was th eref or e in el ig ib le fo r na tu ral iz at io n. Thu s, Al-Aq ai li il le ga ll y pro cu red hi s n at ur al iz at io n. 2

Fo r th es e rea so ns , we affi rm th e jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t.

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Hav in g co nc lu de d th at Al-Aq ai li was no t el ig ib le fo r na tu ral iz at io n du e to hi s 2 la ck of g oo d m or al ch arac te r, we ne ed no t ad dr es s t he ot he r gr ou nd s fo r rev oc at io n di sc us se d by th e di st ric t co ur t, i.e., whe th er Al-Aq ai li m ad e fal se st at em en ts un de r
oa th or wh et he r he wil lfu ll y co nc eal ed or m is rep res en te d h is cri m in al act s.

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