United States v. Puerta

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

982 F.2d 1297 (1992)

Relevant factsFree

Puerta (defendant) falsely answered "none" on his naturalization application to questions about other names he'd used and absences from the United States, confirmed those false answers in an interview, and was naturalized. After his later arrest for attempted bank fraud, police found other identification documents in different names, all predating his naturalization filing, and he was convicted of procuring naturalization "contrary to law" under 18 U.S.C. § 1425(a).

IssueFree

Whether an applicant's failure to report aliases and absences from the United States constitutes an attempt to procure naturalization "contrary to law."

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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