BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.
BOSTON – An Ohio man was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in Boston in connection with his concealment of material information concerning his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Specifically, the jury convicted Nshimiye of lying to a federal jury during the 2019 trial in Boston of convicted Rwandan genocide perpetrator, Jean Leonard Teganya.
Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, a/k/a Eric Tabaro Nshimiyimana, 54, of Uniontown, Ohio was convicted of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Jan. 26, 2027. Nshimiye was arrested and charged in March 2024.
“Eric Tabaro Nshimiye 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,” said United States Attorney, Leah B. Foley. “The United States protects victims not violent criminals. This verdict ensures Nshimiye can no longer hide behind his lies.”
“For nearly three decades, this defendant concealed his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the heinous acts of violence he committed, including clubbing people to death,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “Then, he lied to immigration officials in order to become a U.S. citizen, and he lied to a federal jury to protect himself and a fellow perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide. Now, he will face the consequences of his crimes thanks to the courage of the survivors in this case and the diligence of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who have ensured that Nshimiye will not be able to escape his past.”
“Eric Nshimiye is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masquerading as a refugee here in the United States in an affront to the thousands of Rwandans terrorized and displaced by the genocide he violently participated in. For decades, he lived the American dream by building a life based on the continuation of lies. Now, a federal jury has brought his deceptions to an end,” said HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. “This verdict belongs to the victims who bravely shared their stories, traveling across the world to relive the most horrifying moments of their lives and bring Nshimiye to justice. We are deeply grateful for their contribution and their sacrifice.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, while he was a medical student at the University of Rwanda in Butare, Rwanda, in the early 1990s, Nshimiye participated in attacking Tutsi men and women, including by striking them on the head with a club. At that time, the country was significantly divided ethnically with about 90% of its population being Hutus and about 9% being Tutsis. In the spring of 1994, after the Hutu president’s plane was shot down over Kigali, the country spiraled into one of the worst ethnic genocides in modern history. Members of the Hutu majority and those affiliated with them murdered approximately 800,000 Tutsis, including women and children, in a span of approximately 100-days. According to the evidence, both Nshimiye and Teganya were well-known student members of the ruling Hutu-dominated party, the MRND (Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement), which played a critical role in the genocide.
Nshimiye fled Rwanda in the summer of 1994 and made his way to Kenya. In 1995, he gained admission to the United States as a refugee by failing to disclose his violent participation in the Rwandan genocide to immigration authorities. In subsequent years, Nshimiye continued to provide false information about his involvement in the Rwandan genocide to obtain lawful permanent residence and ultimately U.S. citizenship. Nshimiye has lived and worked in Ohio since 1995.
Victims during the trial testified that Nshimiye directly participated in the genocide. One victim who was a 17-year-old boy at the time witnessed Nshimiye club to death a tailor who worked at the university hospital. Other witnesses recounted how Nshimiye had participated in roadblocks, separating out Tutsis from Hutus to be killed. Numerous witnesses testified that Nshimiye was a member of the MRND, frequently attended political rallies, and dressed in the distinctive garb worn by such members.
In 2017, the United States charged Teganya with fraudulently seeking asylum in the United States by similarly concealing his membership in the MRND and his involvement in the genocide. When called to testify at trial on Teganya’s behalf in 2019, Nshimiye said that neither he nor Teganya participated in the genocide. Teganya was ultimately convicted of two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury in April 2019. Nshimiye assisted Teganya in obstructing justice at Teganya’s trial and falsely testified about Teganya’s involvement in the MRND. Nshimiye also perjured himself when he denied his own membership in the MRND.
The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of perjury provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Foley; AAG Duva; Acting HSI SAC Grimming; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director of the Fraud Detection and National Security Division of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Boston Field Division made the announcement. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the HSI Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center, the Copley, Ohio Police Department and the Summit County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Looney of the National Security Unit and Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided critical assistance.
