Greencard renewed after abandonment

I was issued a greencard in 1978 when i was 2. my dad was working in the usa. we moved back to england 5 years later.
in 2000, i came to the usa on a h1b visa. the company lasted until 2003, then closed.
my mother sent me my old greencard from 1978. as i was in the usa i decided to renew the greencard. i was unaware of the abandonment status issue as my card had no expiration date on it.
i filled in the paperwork for a greencard renewel and was granted a renewed greencard. the card says i have been a resident since 1978.
i have since found out about the abandonment issue after looking into becoming a citizen. i am married to an american since 2003.
what are the consequences of the INS knowing i abandoned my permanent residence status when i file for citizenship?
i want to do the right thing, but i don't want to be deported!
thanks.

Did your application have any untrue info on it?

seems it may have??

i think the way the question was posed, i answered it as i understood it and said no instead of yes. it says something about have you been judged to have abandoned your status.
i must have thought that nobody had judged me as abandoning my status, so i said no.
it is funny how the little things can come back to bite you!

has anyone had good experience talking with an immigration attorney?

[olive]

Immigration lawyers nationwide USA

Give these folks a call. Very highly recommended.

[olive]

They cover immigration issues nationwide.

As a follow-up, i spoke to the Attorneys at the link Olive provided and they were very helpful. thanks for the recommendation Olive.

the advice was to abandon the current greencard and refile for a new greencard. after 3 years citizenship can be filed based on the new greencard.

seems obvious really.

thanks again.