Overview

• Faustin Nsabumukunzi, a former Rwandan local leader, was arrested on Long Island after being indicted for visa and naturalization fraud.
• Prosecutors allege he lied on immigration applications to hide his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.
• As a Sector Councilor in Rwanda, Nsabumukunzi reportedly directed armed Hutus to kill Tutsis, set up roadblocks to detain and kill victims, and encouraged acts of sexual violence against Tutsi women.
• He entered the U.S. as a refugee in 2003, obtained a green card in 2007, and applied for citizenship in 2009 and 2015, all while denying his role in the genocide.
• Nsabumukunzi, previously convicted of genocide in absentia by a Rwandan court, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges.