Posted: 4:17 p.m. Aug. 18, 2009
Psychiatrist gets 10 months, gave fake U.S. citizenship waivers to 492
BY BEN SCHMITT
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

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A West Bloomfield psychiatrist was sentenced to 10 months in prison today for conspiring to commit naturalization fraud, admitting he falsified diagnoses to help people gain U.S. citizenship without passing the English proficiency portions of naturalization exams.





Between 1999 and 2001, Chilakamarri Ramesh, 55, worked at a Dearborn immigration clinic called Four A's Hope Global Psychological Evaluation Center and performed psychiatric evaluations on naturalization applicants, according to federal agents.


Ramesh falsely diagnosed applicants with mental retardation, post-traumatic stress disorder, learning disabilities and dementia.


According to the indictment in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Ramesh signed 953 false and fraudulent naturalization waiver forms for 492 citizenship applicants in Dearborn, Cleveland, St. Louis and Chicago. He pleaded guilty May 18 in front of Judge Julian Cook.


“We must be vigilant to prevent fraud in connection with citizenship applications,â€