Law enforcement officials announced on Thursday that a war criminal who allegedly committed genocide in Rwanda had been arrested on Long Island, New York and charged for lying to U.S. immigration officials.
In a Thursday press release, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York confirmed that 65-year-old Faustin Nsabumukunz, who worked for roughly two decades as a beekeeper on Long Island, had been arrested and charged with visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud after lying on green card and U.S. citizenship applications regarding his alleged role in the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
“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,” U.S. Attorney John Durham said. “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.”
According to the press release, Nsabumukunz was a local leader in Rwanda during the start of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The press release explained that roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by the majority Hutu population in Rwanda between April and July of 1994. During the genocide, the Hutu population committed “acts of violence, including murder, rape, and sexual violence.”
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In Thursday’s press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York accused Nsabumukunz of using his position to “oversee the violence and killings of Tutsis in his local sector of Kibirizi and directed groups of armed Hutus to kill Tutsis.”
“He set up roadblocks during the genocide to detain and kill Tutsis and participated in killings and violence,” the press release stated. “For example, Nsabumukunzi ordered a group of armed Hutus to locations where Tutsis were sheltering and the Hutus killed them. Nsabumukunzi also facilitated the rape of Tutsi women by verbally encouraging Hutu men to do so.”
Court filings indicate that Nsabumukunz was previously convicted of genocide by a Rwandan court. However, Thursday’s press release explained that the war criminal lied to U.S. immigration officials in 2003 and falsely denied that he “ever engaged in genocide” in order to move to the United States.
“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,” Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said. “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.”
