A man accused of playing a leading role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been arrested in Bridgehampton, Long Island, where he had been living quietly as a beekeeper and gardener for over two decades.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, 61-year-old Faustin Nsabumukunzi is facing charges of visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud for allegedly lying on multiple immigration documents to conceal his involvement in atrocities committed during the genocide.
Nsabumukunzi was arrested at his home on Thursday and appeared in federal court in Islip, where he pleaded not guilty. He was released on a $250,000 bond, placed under home detention with GPS monitoring, and is permitted to continue working as a gardener for a private equity executive who also backed his bond.
Prosecutors say Nsabumukunzi served as a local government official — a “Sector Councilor” — in Kibirizi, Rwanda, during the genocide, where he allegedly directed armed militias to carry out mass killings and oversaw brutal violence against ethnic Tutsis. Court filings accuse him of organizing roadblocks used to trap victims, encouraging rape, and ordering the murders of civilians hiding in local shelters.
A Rwandan court previously convicted Nsabumukunzi of genocide in absentia.
He reportedly entered the United States in 2003 through the refugee resettlement program and later obtained a green card in 2007. His applications for permanent residency and U.S. citizenship allegedly included false declarations denying any involvement in genocide or persecution.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney John Durham.
If convicted, Nsabumukunzi faces up to 30 years in prison.