UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KARNAIL SINGH - Articles

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Posted by: Azya Thornton on May 5, 2026

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ON BRIEF: Firooz T. Namei, MCKINNEY & NAMEI CO., L.P.A., Cincinnati, Ohio, for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Jessica V. Currie, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Detroit, Michigan, for Appellee.

Judge(s): GRIFFIN, THAPAR, and NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Karnail Singh, a naturalized U.S. citizen, pled guilty to using a passport that he fraudulently obtained. He now seeks to set aside that conviction, claiming he received ineffective assistance of counsel. Singh argues that his attorney should have explained that his guilty plea could lead to denaturalization. But the Sixth Amendment doesn’t require attorneys to advise naturalized citizens that a guilty plea may carry the risk of denaturalization and eventual deportation. So we affirm.

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