VERMONT
A Bosnian-born Burlington, Vermont, man surrendered his U.S. citizenship because he lied about his military service during the Bosnian war and the court cancelled his certificate of naturalization, according to officials.
Edin Sakoč, 55, stipulated to the court’s order of denaturalization and loss of U.S. citizenship based on a civil complaint alleging that Sakoč illegally and fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by giving false or misleading information to a U.S. official.
According to court documents, when Sakoč sought refugee status in the United States in 2001, he misrepresented his wartime service in the Croatian Defense Council by denying that he served in a reconnaissance unit.
Sakoč was charged in a two-count indictment filed in 2013 in federal court at the U.S. District of Vermont.
The charges carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison as well as automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship and a fine of up to $250,000, according to federal officials.