A federal judge in Boston has sentenced former Les Irois mayor Jean Morose Viliena to nine years in prison, plus three years of supervised release, for lying about his role in lethal political violence to obtain a U.S. green card. justice.govapnews.com
Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV handed down the penalty on Friday, nearly three months after a jury found Viliena, 53, guilty on three counts of visa fraud. Prosecutors said Viliena denied orchestrating or aiding extrajudicial killings when he applied for a visitor visa in 2008 and later for permanent residency, even though witnesses testified that he had personally directed armed reprisals while in office from 2006 to 2010. justice.govboston.com
According to trial evidence, Viliena and an allied militia known as Korega fatally shot an activist’s brother in 2007 and smashed the victim’s skull with a rock. The following year, the group stormed a community radio station, beating staffers; one man later lost a leg, and another was blinded in one eye after taking a bullet to the face. justice.gov
“Viliena built a comfortable life here on the back of a lie while his victims lived with the scars of his brutality,” U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said, adding that the case shows the United States will not serve as a refuge for human-rights violators. justice.govjustice.gov
Matthew R. Galeotti, chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, warned that anyone who commits atrocities abroad and then misleads U.S. immigration authorities “will be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable to the fullest extent of our laws.” apnews.com
Homeland Security Investigations, which led the probe with ICE and USCIS, said Viliena will face deportation proceedings after finishing his sentence.
