NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a case to revoke the citizenship of a former South Florida mayor.
Authorities say Philippe Bien-Aime, the Haitian-born former mayor of North Miami, faked his identity and more to stay in the country and become a U.S. citizen.
But is Philippe Bien-Aime even his name?
Federal prosecutors allege Bien-Aime entered the U.S. as Jean Phillipe Janvier with a fraudulent passport 25 years ago and authorities ordered him deported.
Instead, they say, he took on the new name and became a naturalized citizen in 2006.
A few years later, North Miami voters elected him councilman, then their mayor.
Current North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme called the news “shocking to hear.” When asked by Local 10 News whether the city could be liable, he said it’s “too soon to go into any impact.”
The list of the evidence prosecutors are using against Bien-Aime includes the original deportation order, his naturalization records, and birth and marriage certificates.
That’s especially significant for his wife, Sarah, because a marriage certificate exists for a wife named Marie Chauvet in May 2001, two months after losing a paternity lawsuit to Sarah. Bigamy is among the federal allegations.
He’s no longer mayor, but Bien-Aime has been lobbying the city on behalf of developers, and his own business makes tens of thousands of dollars in consulting contracts with the city.
Neither Bien-Aime, nor his lawyer, responded to a request for comment.
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