After allegedly hiding his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a man from Long Island has been charged with immigration fraud on a federal level.
The US Department of Justice released a statement that said this.
After being taken into custody on Thursday morning, Bridgehampton resident Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, showed up in Central Islip for his arraignment before US District Judge Joanna Seybert.
Nsabumukunzi, a former Rwandan local government official, was accused by prosecutors of fabricating his past when he applied for U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, and refugee status.
Despite his established leadership role in planning violence during the 1994 massacre, which is thought to have killed 800,000 people, he denied any involvement in genocide or persecution, according to the indictment.
According to authorities, during the genocide, Nsabumukunzi served as a “Sector Councilor” in the Kibirizi district. He is charged with inciting rapes against Tutsi women, establishing obstacles to locate and murder victims, and ordering armed groups to attack Tutsi civilians.
“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 US citizenship,” said Matthew 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 US Attorney John 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.”
A Rwandan court previously convicted him of genocide in absentia.
Despite this history, Nsabumukunzi entered the United States in 2003 as a refugee, obtained a green card in 2007, and later applied for naturalization in 2009 and 2015. Prosecutors claim he repeatedly lied under oath in his immigration documents.
If convicted, Nsabumukunzi faces up to 30 years in prison.
The case is being handled by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in coordination with the Department of Justice’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Homeland Security Investigations.
About The Author
