FILED 

 U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT 

 January 4, 2005 

 THOMAS K. KAHN 

 CLERK

Honorable Richard D. Cudahy, United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit,

*

sitting by designation.

[PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT

No. 04-10144

________________________

D. C. Docket No. 02-22057-CV-AJ

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

LIONEL JEAN-BAPTISTE,

Defendant-Appellant.

___________

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Florida

___________

(January 4, 2005)

Before BIRCH, KRAVITCH and CUDAHY , Circuit Judges. *

CUDAHY, Circuit Judge:
2

The right to acquire United States citizenship is precious and coveted and its

successful exercise rarer than many aspirants would hope for. See Fedorenko v.

United States, 449 U.S. 490, 505 (1981). Accordingly, when the government

seeks to strip citizenship from one who has acquired it, denaturalization

proceedings can have “severe and unsettling consequences.” Id. Here, we address

the question whether a naturalized citizen who committed certain unlawful acts

during the statutory period prior to taking the oath of allegiance but for which he

was indicted, arrested and convicted after naturalization stands to lose his precious

acquisition for lack of good moral character. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. 

I.

Lionel Jean-Baptiste is a Haitian citizen and native who was paroled into

the United States on September 10, 1980, and became a permanent resident here

on January 1, 1982. He applied for naturalization on November 21, 1994 on the

ground that he had been a lawful permanent resident for at least five years. His

application was approved on February 13, 1996, and on April 23, 1996, JeanBaptiste took the oath of allegiance and became a naturalized citizen. 

Unbeknownst to immigration officials, however, Jean-Baptiste had entangled

himself in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine at some point between March

17 and March 23, 1995, in violation of 23 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), 18 U.S.C. § 2, and
In its first complaint filed on July 15, 2002, the government initially sought to revoke 1

Jean-Baptiste’s citizenship on two other grounds. Count 1 of the complaint alleged that JeanBaptiste had illegally procured his citizenship because he had lacked “good moral character”

during the requisite five-year period in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a) and was statutorily barred

from establishing good moral character under 8 U.S.C § 1101(f)(6) because he had provided false

testimony under oath. Count 2 of the complaint alleged that Jean-Baptiste had procured

naturalization through willful misrepresentation and concealment of his criminal conduct and

that his citizenship should be revoked under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a). In an amended complaint filed

on December 11, 2002, the government added a third count alleging that Jean-Baptiste was

barred from establishing “good moral character” under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f) because he had

committed unlawful acts adversely reflecting upon his moral character during the statutory

period. Finally, on May 27, 2003, the government filed a second amended complaint dismissing

Counts 1 and 2 of the first complaint, and elected to proceed only with Count 3. 

3

21 U.S.C. § 846. Jean-Baptiste was indicted for this crime by a grand jury on

October 11, 1996, was arrested on October 30, 1996, and was convicted by a jury

on January 8, 1997. He thereafter received a sentence of 97 months’

imprisonment, five years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine. 

Consequently, the United States government sought to revoke JeanBaptiste’s citizenship on the ground that he was barred from establishing “good

moral character” under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f) because he had committed unlawful

acts reflecting adversely upon his moral character during the statutory period.1

The district court granted summary judgment for the government, finding that

Jean-Baptiste must be denaturalized for illegally procuring his citizenship in the

face of commission during the statutory period of acts sufficient to negate and

belie a showing of good moral character. The district court stayed the order of

denaturalization so that Jean-Baptiste could pursue this appeal. We review the
The district court also relied on 8 C.F.R. §316.10(a)(1), which states that “[a]n applicant 2

for naturalization bears the burden of demonstrating that, during the statutorily prescribed period,

he or she has been and continues to be a person of good moral character. This includes the

period between the examination and the administration of the oath of allegiance.”

4

district court’s grant of summary judgment to the government de novo. O’Ferrell

v. United States, 253 F.3d 1257 (11th Cir. 2001). 

II. 

An applicant who seeks to become a naturalized United States citizen must

fully comply with several statutory prerequisites before taking the oath of

allegiance. Fedorenko, 449 U.S. at 506. These requirements demand that

applicants for naturalization reside continuously in the United States for at least

five years after being lawfully admitted for permanent residence; maintain

physical presence in the United States for the five years immediately preceding the

application date; reside in the United States “from the date of the application up to

the time of admission to citizenship”; and during all such periods establish and

maintain “good moral character.” 8 U.S.C. § 1427(a). In view of these

requirements, the district court concluded that applicants had to maintain good

moral character at least from the date on which the application was filed until the

date the oath of allegiance was taken. We concur in this interpretation. 2

Once applicants have complied with the arduous naturalization
5

requirements and have taken the oath of allegiance, they are, to use a baseball

analogy, safe at home plate. If, however, evidence later comes to light suggesting

that citizenship was illegally procured, the government may challenge the

naturalized citizen’s certificate of citizenship and demand its cancellation. 

Fedorenko, 449 U.S. at 505. But the government bears a heavy burden of proof in

denaturalization proceedings, and a court should only revoke citizenship if the

government presents “clear, unequivocal, and convincing” evidence establishing

that citizenship was illegally procured. United States v. Koziy, 782 F.2d 1314,

1318 (11th Cir. 1984) (citing Fedorenko, 449 U.S. at 505). When the government

succeeds in carrying this heavy burden, a district court must revoke citizenship “on

the ground that such order and certificate of naturalization were illegally

procured.” 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a). In these circumstances, a court lacks discretion

but is compelled to enter a judgment of denaturalization. Fedorenko, 449 U.S. at

517.

A. 

Before addressing the substance of this case, we note that one of JeanBaptiste’s arguments is not relevant to the instant appeal. Jean-Baptiste asserts

that the issue before us is whether he illegally procured his citizenship by willfully

and knowingly misrepresenting or concealing a material fact during the
6

naturalization process. But, to the contrary, this case does in fact require us to

determine whether Jean-Baptiste pursued citizenship without possessing the

requisite good moral character and not to determine whether he committed fraud. 

Therefore, the only fact relevant to the count contained in the government’s

second amended complaint is whether Jean-Baptiste, during the statutory period,

committed the crime of conspiring to distribute cocaine, thereby negating his

possession of good moral character.

B. 

Since Jean-Baptiste committed his unlawful acts while his naturalization

application was pending, but was convicted of those offenses after he became a

naturalized citizen, the specific question here is whether the commission, in

contrast to the conviction, of a crime negates good character during the critical

statutory period. While the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) does not

specifically define what “good moral character” is, it quite explicitly states what it

is not. Among the entries in a non-exhaustive list of categories of persons who

cannot establish good moral character for purposes of the statute are individuals

convicted of trafficking in controlled substances and those convicted of other

crimes. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(3), (8). While this section is not directly on point to

the present facts because it speaks to conviction and not to commission of a crime,
7

it does illustrate what types of unlawful behavior may bar an applicant from

establishing good moral character in that context, particularly in view of the

expansive “catch-all” provision in the last section of 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f). The final

section of 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f) contains a “catch-all” provision which cautions that

“the fact that any person is not within any of the foregoing classes shall not

preclude a finding that for such reasons such person is or was not of good moral

character.” 

Numerous other statutory and regulatory provisions also suggest the

contours of a definition of good moral character. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2),

which is referenced in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(3), aliens who are inadmissible to

citizenship on criminal and related grounds include those who commit or conspire

to commit a crime of moral turpitude as well as aliens who assist others in

trafficking in controlled substances. In addition, 8 C.F.R. § 316.10, a regulation

based on 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f), sets forth additional categories of persons who

cannot establish good moral character, including applicants convicted of an

aggravated felony, a crime of moral turpitude or a controlled substance violation. 

The “catch-all” provision of 8 C.F.R § 316.10(b) states that applicants who have

committed acts adversely reflecting on moral character during the statutory period

cannot establish the requisite good moral character. 
See In re Khourn, 21 I & N. Dec. 1041 (BIA 1997) (holding that distribution of cocaine 4

in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude under 8

U.S.C. § 1251(a)(2)(A)(ii)). 

8

Jean-Baptiste does not deny that he was required to maintain good moral

character from the date of application until he took the oath of allegiance, but he

instead claims that he did possess good moral character throughout this period. 

Jean-Baptiste was convicted of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to possess

crack cocaine with intent to distribute. This offense is an aggravated felony, a

crime of moral turpitude and a controlled substances violation–all categories of 4

offenses the commission of which bar an applicant for naturalization from

establishing the requisite good moral character. 

The district court narrowed the issue by finding that Jean-Baptiste’s failure

to establish good moral character was not as an alien who was convicted of or who

admitted trafficking in controlled substances under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(3) or as an

alien convicted of an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(8), before the

taking of the oath of allegiance. Indeed, at or before the time of his naturalization

Jean-Baptiste had not been indicted for, much less convicted of, a drug offense,

nor is there evidence to suggest that he had admitted such an act at that time. 

Thus, the district court seized upon the final “catch-all” section of 8 U.S.C. §

1101(f)(8), in which Congress delegated authority to the former INS to set forth
9

“other reasons” affecting determinations of good moral character. Pursuant to this

authority, Congress delegated to the Attorney General authority to issue 8 C.F.R. §

316.10, including §316.10(b)(3)(iii), which states that “the applicant shall be

found to lack good moral character if, during the statutory period, the applicant . . .

(iii) Committed unlawful acts that adversely reflect upon the applicant’s moral

character, or was convicted or imprisoned for such acts, although the acts do not

fall within the purview of § 316.10(b)(1) or (2).” This regulation is entitled to

deference. See Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.,

467 U.S. 837, 843-44 (1984) (“if Congress has explicitly left a gap for the agency

to fill, there is an express delegation of authority to the agency to elucidate a

specific provision of the statute by regulation.”) Further, as the district court

noted, this determination is supported by case law. See, e.g., United States v.

Kiang, 2003 WL 24495 (6th Cir. 2003) (unpublished) (“8 C.F.R. § 316.10(c)(1)

represents a reasonable interpretation of the statutory requirement of good moral

character and is not ultra vires”), Deluca v. Ashcroft, 203 F.Supp.2d 1276, 1279

(M.D. Ala. 2002) (8 C.F.R. § 316.10 is a fair interpretation of Congress’

intentions); Jimenez v. Eddy, 153 F.Supp.2d 1105, 1107 (D. Ark. 2001) (stating

that 8 C.F.R. § 316.10(c)(1) is not an arbitrary or capricious interpretation of 8

C.F.R. § 316(a) and § 1101(f)). Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s well-
10

reasoned determination that, because he committed a drug offense as established

by his later conviction, Jean-Baptiste was precluded under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(f)(8),

as elaborated in 8 C.F.R. § 316.10(b)(3)(iii), from establishing good moral

character, and was therefore barred from acquiring citizenship. 

B. 

In an attempt to escape the consequences of his criminal act, Jean-Baptiste

argues that he is not barred by the doctrine of collateral estoppel from asserting

that he did not know at the time of his naturalization that he had committed a

crime, and contends that he would not have known that participation in the

cocaine conspiracy was a crime prior to his arrest and conviction. However,

scienter was an element of the crime of which Jean-Baptiste was convicted, and

this defeats his present claim of lack of knowledge. 

Moreover, Jean-Baptiste’s arguments concerning the doctrine of collateral

estoppel are also flawed. Collateral estoppel bars a defendant who is convicted in

a criminal trial from contesting this conviction in a subsequent civil action with

respect to issues necessarily decided in the criminal trial. See Kennedy v.

Mendoza-Martinez, 372 U.S. 144, 157 (1963); In re Bilzerian, 153 F.3d 1278,

1281 (11th Cir. 1998) (defendant convicted of securities fraud was collaterally

estopped from challenging issues litigated in criminal trial in subsequent civil
11

action brought by the SEC). For collateral estoppel to apply, the issue in question

must be “identical in both the prior and current action,” the issue must have been

“actually litigated” in the criminal trial, the determination of the issue must have

been “critical and necessary to the judgment in the prior action” and the burden of

persuasion in the subsequent action cannot be “significantly heavier.” In re

Bilzerian, 153 F.3d at 1281. The district court determined that all of these

preconditions had been satisfied and stated that the issue that the government

sought to prove in the denaturalization proceeding–Jean-Baptiste’s conspiracy to

possess crack cocaine with the intent to distribute–was the same issue it sought to

prove in the criminal trial; that Jean-Baptiste’s commission of this offense was

actually litigated and that his conviction was affirmed on appeal; that the

commission of the offense was indeed critical and necessary to the criminal

judgment; and that the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard carried by the

government in the criminal trial was higher than its burden of “clear, unequivocal,

and convincing evidence” in the civil denaturalization proceeding. As a matter of

law therefore Jean-Baptiste was precluded from challenging his conviction or his

knowledge of having committed the crime. 

C.

In a further attempt to retain his citizenship, Jean-Baptiste alleges that there
12

are sufficient extenuating circumstances to preclude denaturalization for lack of

good moral character. He asserts that, if denaturalized and deported to Haiti, he

will be placed on a government flight with other Haitian deportees with criminal

convictions and then detained and incarcerated by the Haitian government in

prisons “unfit for human habitation” because he is a “pariah” who has “lost his

chance to live in the United States.” (Defendant’s Br. at 15). Jean-Baptiste also

contends that his wife and children will suffer “extreme hardship” as a result of his

deportation, confinement and eventual death in a Haitian prison. (Id.).

Though we certainly do not take Jean-Baptiste’s concerns about future

hardships lightly, they do not involve “extenuating circumstances,” which must

pertain to his culpability for the drug crime, and its negative impact on his moral

character. See 8 C.F.R. § 316.10(b)(3); BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY 236 (7th ed.

1999). Case law discussions of extenuating circumstances in the context of a

determination of good moral character establish that such circumstances must

pertain to the reasons showing lack of good character, including acts negating

good character, not to the consequences of these matters, including the

consequences of denaturalization. See, e.g., Rico v. INS, 262 F.Supp.2d 6

(E.D.N.Y. 2003) (finding that a naturalization applicant who did not show

extenuating circumstances affecting his DWI conviction in the statutory period
13

could not establish good moral character because he failed to accept responsibility

for his crime, failed to establish a claimed rehabilitation and lacked candor); In re

Briedis, 238 F.Supp. 149 (N.D. Ill. 1965) (discussing extenuating circumstances

that made the adulterous conduct of the naturalization applicant “merely

technical”); Petition of Spak, 164 F.Supp. 257 (D.C. Pa. 1958) (finding that

naturalization applicant lacked good moral character and no extenuating

circumstances explained his failure to provide support for his mentally deficient

child for three and one-half years). Jean-Baptiste has therefore failed to establish

extenuating circumstances going to the reasons for his denaturalization. He may

pursue further his serious concerns noted above if he becomes subject to

administrative removal proceedings under 8 U.S.C. § 1229a. 

IV. 

In the words of the late Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, United States

citizenship is certainly “no light trifle to be jeopardized.” Afroyim v. Rusk, 387

U.S. 267-68 (1967). Nonetheless, upon determining that a naturalized citizen

illegally procured citizenship, the district court lacked discretion to withhold an

order of denaturalization, with all its negative consequences for the denaturalized

person and his family. Because Jean-Baptiste, through his commission of a

serious crime, lacked the good moral character requisite for naturalization, we
14

must find under 8 C.F.R. § 316.10(b)(3)(iii) that his citizenship was illegally

procured, and so we must AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.