A Rwandan-born man has been convicted by a US federal jury of lying about his involvement in the 1994 genocide in the African nation.
Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, 54, was found guilty in Boston, Massachusetts, on Tuesday of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
Nshimiye, also known as Nshimiyimana, entered the United States in 1995 as a refugee by "failing to disclose his violent participation in the Rwandan genocide to immigration authorities," the department said.
"In subsequent years, Nshimiye continued to provide false information about his involvement in the Rwandan genocide to obtain lawful permanent residence and ultimately US citizenship," it said.
US Attorney Leah Foley said Nshimiye, who resided in Ohio and worked for the Goodyear Tire company, "lived under a web of lies and deception."
"He obtained refuge in this country by lying to immigration officials about his involvement in the Rwandan genocide and the appalling acts he committed on the Tutsi community," Foley said.
Nshimiye, who was then a medical student, took part in attacks on Tutsi men and women, including clubbing people to death, according to prosecutors.
Nshimiye's perjury and obstruction convictions stemmed from false testimony he delivered at the 2019 trial in Boston of another convicted Rwandan genocide perpetrator, Jean Leonard Teganya.
Nshimiye denied at the trial that he and Teganya were involved in the Rwandan genocide, which claimed the lives of an estimated 800,000 people, mostly members of the Tutsi minority, over the course of three months.
Sentencing was set for January 26, 2027.
Nshimiye faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of the perjury counts and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice.
