The United States Department of Justice has initiated legal proceedings to strip a former US Marine of Ghanaian origin of his American citizenship, following his dishonourable discharge from the military over serious sexual offences.
According to a DOJ publication dated December 8, 2025, Nicholas Eshun, a native of Ghana who immigrated to the US and enlisted in the Marine Corps, is the subject of a civil denaturalisation action filed in the District of Maryland.
According to the Justice Department, Eshun obtained US citizenship in 2013 under a special provision for servicemembers, which requires honourable service for at least five years.
However, just two years after naturalising, Eshun was involved in a scandal while serving overseas. He exchanged explicit messages with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl and attempted to sexually abuse her.
Unbeknownst to him, the “girl” was an undercover officer from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
This led to his court-martial and conviction by the US Marine Corps. On May 16, 2016, Eshun was dishonourably discharged after serving only 4.5 years, falling short of the required honourable service period.
The denaturalisation suit is based on 8 U.S.C. § 1440(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows for the revocation of citizenship for military naturalised individuals who fail to meet the honourable service criteria.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche condemned Eshun’s actions describing it as a betrayal of the marine uniform.
“As alleged, this defendant betrayed the uniform, abused the trust of this nation, and targeted who he believed was a child. Under strong leadership, this department is using every lawful tool to protect the American people and to ensure that citizenship is not a shield for criminals who never deserved it in the first place. If you commit heinous crimes, you will be held accountable. This is how we make America safe again,” he said.
“Today’s denaturalisation against Nicholas Eshun, a court-martialed sex offender, demonstrates the United States’ commitment to using every tool available under the law to pursue those who obtain their U.S. citizenship unlawfully. Thanks to the intrepid investigators of NCIS, we now know the danger this man poses to this country. He is no longer serving as a Marine. There is no lawful basis for him to keep the citizenship he secured as one,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division also added.
Eshun enlisted in the US Marine Corps in October 2011, just ten months after arriving in the United States from Ghana.