New York Man Charged with Immigration Fraud for Concealing Role as Perpetrator of Rwandan Genocide

A federal grand jury in Central Islip, New York, returned an indictment April 22 and unsealed today charging a New York man with lying on his applications for a green card and United States citizenship by concealing his past role as a leader and perpetrator of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

According to court documents, Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, of Bridgehampton, New York, was a local leader with the title of “Sector Counselor” in Rwanda in 1994 when the genocide began. Between April and July of that year, members of the majority Hutu population persecuted the minority Tutsis, committing acts of violence including murder and rape. An estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the three-month genocide. Nsabumukunzi was arrested this morning on Long Island and is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. ET before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert for the Eastern District of New York.

“As alleged, the defendant participated in the commission of heinous acts of violence abroad and then lied his way into a green card and tried to obtain U.S. citizenship,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “No matter how much time has passed, the Department of Justice will find and prosecute individuals who committed atrocities in their home countries and covered them up to gain entry and seek citizenship in the United States.”

“As alleged, Nsabumukunzi repeatedly lied to conceal his involvement in the horrific Rwandan genocide while seeking to become a lawful permanent resident and citizen of the United States,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “For over two decades, he got away with those lies and lived in the United States with an undeserved clean slate, a luxury that his victims will never have, but thanks to the tenacious efforts of our investigators and prosecutors, the defendant finally will be held accountable for his brutal actions.”

“This defendant has been living in the United States for decades, hiding his alleged horrific conduct, human rights violations, and his role in these senseless atrocities against innocent Tutsis,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “The depraved conduct of which the defendant is accused represent the worst of humanity. As demonstrated through the tireless work of HSI New York agents, analysts, and task force officers, we will never tolerate the safe-harboring of individuals linked to such unimaginable crimes.”

As alleged in the indictment, Nsabumukunzi used his leadership position to oversee the violence and killings of Tutsis in his local area and directed groups of armed Hutus to kill Tutsis. He is alleged to have set up roadblocks during the genocide to detain and kill Tutsis and to have participated in killings. According to court filings, Nsabumukunzi was subsequently convicted in absentia by a Rwandan court for genocide.

As further alleged, Nsabumukunzi applied for refugee resettlement in the United States in 2003, applied for and received a green card in 2007, and later submitted applications for naturalization in 2009 and 2015. Nsabumukunzi is alleged to have lied to U.S. immigration officials in his immigration applications, including by falsely denying any involvement as a perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide. As a result of his ongoing efforts to conceal his actions during the genocide, Nsabumukunzi has been able to live and work in the United States since 2003.

Nsabumukunzi is charged with one count of visa fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a) and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1425 (a) and (b). If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI Long Island is investigating the case, with assistance from the Interagency Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.

Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Alessi and Katherine P. Onyshko for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from HRSP Analyst/Historian Dr. Christopher Hayden and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.