A 65-year-old man from Ohio, Vincent Nzigiyimfura, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly concealing his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide to immigrate and later apply for U.S. citizenship.
According to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura lied on his 2014 citizenship application, falsely claiming he had never persecuted anyone or committed crimes. The jury found that these statements conflicted with his alleged actions during the genocide, where he served as a local leader orchestrating killings in the southern Rwandan region of Gihisi and the southern-central town of Nyanza.
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Prosecutors say Nzigiyimfura provided weapons, transportation, and incentives to Hutu militias, directed search and kill missions targeting Tutsis, and established roadblocks to capture and execute victims. He is also accused of deceiving hiding Tutsis into thinking the violence had ceased, only to have them rounded up and murdered.
Matthew Galeotti, head of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, stated,
“The United States is not a safe haven for human rights violators. Those, like the defendant, who commit immigration fraud to hide their violent pasts will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly Norris for the Southern District of Ohio added,
“The indictment alleges that Nzigiyimfura facilitated the killings of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide and then lied about it on immigration applications in the United States. This egregious conduct will not be tolerated.”
This case mirrors a similar incident earlier this year. In February, Faustin Nsabumukunzi, another 65-year-old Rwandan man living in New York, was charged with concealing his leadership role during the genocide to gain U.S. citizenship. He was indicted in Central Islip, Long Island, and pleaded not guilty to charges of visa and naturalization fraud. Released on $250,000 bail, he remains under home detention with GPS monitoring.
Nsabumukunzi’s attorney, Evan Sugar, disputed the charges, describing his client as a
“law-abiding beekeeper and gardener who has lived on Long Island for more than two decades,”
and asserting that Nsabumukunzi was
“a victim of the Rwandan genocide who lost scores of family members and friends to the violence.”
