Jean Morose Viliena, the previous mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, has been sentenced to nine years in jail adopted by three years of supervised launch for utilizing a fraudulently obtained Everlasting Resident Card to enter and stay in america. The sentencing was handed down on Friday by Chief Decide F. Dennis Saylor IV for the District of Massachusetts.
A federal jury convicted Viliena in March 2025 on three counts of visa fraud after discovering that he lied about his previous involvement in political violence, together with extrajudicial killings and acts of brutality, whereas serving as mayor of Les Irois from 2006 to 2010.
“In Haiti, Jean Morose Viliena was concerned within the violent killings, beatings, and assaults of whomever he believed threatened his energy as mayor,” mentioned Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Division’s Legal Division. “His lies to U.S. immigration authorities allowed him to unlawfully enter this nation and acquire lawful everlasting resident standing. People who commit violent crimes of their house nations ought to take observe: we don’t tolerate human rights abusers who deceive take refuge right here. We’ll discover you, examine you, and prosecute you to make sure that you’re held accountable to the utmost extent of U.S. regulation to your heinous prison conduct.”
“Jean Morose Viliena constructed a life in america by burying the reality about his violent previous – a previous marked by political persecution, bloodshed and the silencing of dissent in Haiti,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “For greater than a decade, he lived freely and comfortably on this nation whereas the victims of his brutality lived in worry, exile and ache. Right this moment’s sentence brings a measure of justice for the lives he shattered and sends a transparent message: america won’t be a protected haven for human rights abusers. Mendacity to realize entry into this nation after which mendacity once more below oath to keep away from accountability strikes on the coronary heart of our immigration and authorized methods. I commend the super braveness of the victims and witnesses who stood up and spoke the reality regardless of the dangers and made this final result attainable.”
“Right this moment’s sentencing underscores the dedication of Homeland Safety Investigations to making sure that people who commit heinous acts of violence and fraud are held accountable, no matter the place these crimes have been dedicated,” mentioned Particular Agent in Cost Michael J. Krol of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) New England. “Jean Morose Viliena’s actions weren’t solely a gross violation of human rights but additionally a betrayal of the belief positioned in him by his group. HSI will proceed to work tirelessly with our companions to carry justice to victims and shield the American folks from overseas criminals in search of to flee justice of their house nations.”
Whereas mayor, Viliena was aligned with a political group generally known as Korega, which wielded affect in Haiti’s southwestern area by means of using armed violence. Based on trial proof, Viliena ordered and personally took half in assaults towards political opponents and civilians. In July 2007, he led an armed group that murdered the youthful brother of a neighborhood activist, smashing his cranium in entrance of bystanders. In April 2008, he and armed supporters raided a radio station based by group members, distributing weapons and attacking these current. One sufferer was shot and later had a leg amputated; one other was struck by a bullet that left him blind in a single eye.
Lower than two months after the radio station assault, Viliena utilized for a U.S. visa on the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. When requested if he had “ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings,” Viliena falsely answered “no.” His software was authorised, and he was later granted a U.S. Inexperienced Card. For years, he lived within the U.S. with the advantages of lawful standing—together with employment, group security, and the flexibility to lift a toddler who’s now a U.S. citizen—whereas the victims of his previous actions lived in worry and struggling.
The case was investigated by the HSI Boston Discipline Workplace with help from the Human Rights Violators and Conflict Crimes Middle (HRVWCC) and U.S. Customs and Border Safety at Boston Logan Airport. The HRVWCC, established in 2009, helps observe and prosecute human rights abusers within the U.S.
Trial Lawyer Alexandra Skinnion of the Legal Division’s Human Rights and Particular Prosecutions Part (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Lawyer Laura J. Kaplan for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case, with help from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden.