A Rwandan man living in Ohio has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of immigration fraud for allegedly concealing his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide to obtain US residency and later attempting naturalization.
Vincent Nzigiyimfura, 65, was arrested Wednesday in Dayton and appeared Thursday before the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The indictment accuses him of lying on immigration and naturalization applications by denying his involvement in the genocide, during which an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by members of the Hutu majority.
According to the Department of Justice, Nzigiyimfura was a businessman and butcher in Rwanda and served as a leader and organizer of genocide operations in and around Gihisi and Nyanza. He is accused of supplying weapons, directing other Hutus to apprehend victims, and establishing roadblocks used to capture and kill Tutsis. Prosecutors say he also lured Tutsis out of hiding by falsely claiming the violence had ended, only to have them rounded up and murdered.
After fleeing Rwanda in 1994, Nzigiyimfura applied for an immigrant visa to the US, allegedly providing false information and denying any involvement in genocide. While in the presence of a US Consular Officer, he affirmed that he understood a willfully misleading statement could subject him to criminal prosecution. He also submitted an affidavit in which he claimed he “left Rwanda in 1994 due to the Genocide,” when he actually fled due to his participation.
He received the visa in 2009 and later submitted a naturalization application in 2014, again allegedly making false statements. Though his citizenship was never granted, he applied for and received a replacement green card in 2018, which authorities say was fraudulently obtained.
Nzigiyimfura faces one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
“As alleged, Vincent Nzigiyimfura directed and encouraged murders during the genocide in Rwanda and then lied to U.S. authorities to start a new life in this country,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “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.”
