Man charged in U.S with immigration fraud, concealing role as perpetrator of the Rwanda genocide

Friday, April 25, 2025 - A man in the United States has been charged with concealing his past role as a leader and perpetrator of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, the Department of Justice announced.

A federal grand jury in Central Islip, New York, returned an indictment for 65-year-old Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, accused of lying on his applications for a green card and United States citizenship.

Nsabumukunzi was arrested on Thursday on Long Island and is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. ET before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert for the Eastern District of New York.

The resident of Bridgehampton, New York, was a local leader with the title of “Sector Counselor” when the genocide occurred between April and July 1994, according to court documents.

Nsabumukunzi is accused of using his leadership position to oversee the killings of Tutsis in his local area, including setting up roadblocks to identify and detain Tutsis.

An estimated 800,000 people died when militias from the dominant Hutus committed persecuted members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa.

Nsabumukunzi applied for refugee resettlement in the U.S in 2003, applied for and received a green card in 2007, and later submitted applications for naturalization in 2009 and 2015.

Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said as alleged, the defendant participated in heinous acts and then lied his way into a green card and tried to become a citizen.

“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,” Galeotti vowed.

U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for New York’s Eastern District said for over two decades, Nsabumukunzi got away with lies and lived in America with an undeserved clean slate, a luxury his victims will never have.

Durham added that the defendant, a beekeeper in his home country and in the U.S, will finally be held accountable for his actions following the tenacious efforts of investigators and prosecutors.

“The depraved conduct of which the defendant is accused represents the worst of humanity,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, New York.

McCormack said as demonstrated through the tireless work of HSI New York agents, analysts, and task force officers, America will never harbor individuals linked to unimaginable crimes.

In 2013, a Rwandan, Beatrice Munyenyezi, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in New Hampshire for not disclosing her involvement in the genocide. In 2021, U.S. ICE repatriated her to Rwanda, where she’s serving life in prison.