Ohio Man Who Hid Rwandan Genocide Role to Gain U.S. Citizenship Found Guilty of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice by Boston Federal Jury

BOSTON, United States

A man in his 50s who attacked Tutsis with a club during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and concealed his actions to enter the United States as a refugee and obtain U.S. citizenship has been convicted by a federal jury in Boston. The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on October 28 (local time) that Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, 54, of Uniontown, Ohio, was convicted the previous day by a federal jury in Boston of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye also used the name 'Eric Tabaro Nshimiyimana.'

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the jury found that Nshimiye provided false testimony before a federal jury during the 2019 Boston trial of fellow Rwandan genocide perpetrator Jean Leonard Teganya. Nshimiye was arrested and indicted in March 2024. The jury's verdict was returned on October 27 following a trial in federal court in Boston. Senior U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for January 26, 2027.

"Hit on the Head with a Club"… Courtroom Testimony of Survivors

According to evidence presented at trial, in the early 1990s, while a medical student at the University of Rwanda in Butare, Nshimiye participated in attacks on Tutsi men and women, including striking them on the head with clubs. At the time, Rwanda was deeply divided along ethnic lines, with approximately 90% of the population being Hutu and about 9% Tutsi.

In the spring of 1994, after a plane carrying the Hutu president was shot down over the capital of Kigali, Rwanda descended into one of the most horrific genocides in modern history. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Hutu majority and aligned forces murdered approximately 800,000 Tutsis, including women and children, over a span of about 100 days. According to the evidence, both Nshimiye and Teganya were well-known student members of the Hutu-dominated ruling party, the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND; Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement), which played a crucial role in the genocide.

At the trial, victims testified that Nshimiye directly participated in the genocide. One victim, who was a 17-year-old boy at the time, testified to witnessing Nshimiye beat a tailor working at the university hospital to death with a club. Other witnesses testified that Nshimiye participated in identifying and separating Tutsis from Hutus at checkpoints to be targeted for murder. Multiple witnesses testified that Nshimiye, as an MRND member, frequently attended political rallies and wore the distinctive clothing worn by party members.

On October 28, the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice posted on its official X account, "Ohio Man Convicted for Lying About His Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide," alongside remarks by Deputy Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva.

Entering as a Refugee via Kenya… Securing Permanent Residency and Citizenship

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye fled Rwanda in the summer of 1994 and traveled to Kenya. In 1995, he entered the United States as a refugee while concealing his participation in genocidal violence from immigration authorities. Over subsequent years, Nshimiye continued to submit false information regarding his involvement in the genocide to obtain lawful permanent residence and eventually acquired U.S. citizenship. He had been living and working in Ohio since 1995.

According to the criminal complaint at the time of the arrest announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts on March 21, 2024, Nshimiye and Teganya were well-known student members of the MRND and its notorious violent youth wing, the Interahamwe. According to prosecutors at the time of the charges, Nshimiye participated in striking Tutsi men, women, and children on the head with nail-studded clubs before hacking them to death with machetes. The criminal complaint specified instances including the murder of a 14-year-old boy and a man who tailored lab coats at the university hospital, with local Rwandan witnesses identifying the murder sites and drawing sketches of the weapons Nshimiye used. Prosecutors at the time also alleged that Nshimiye participated in and aided and abetted the sexual assault of numerous Tutsi women during the genocide. According to prosecutors at the time of the charges, Nshimiye fled Rwanda in the summer of 1994 after Tutsi rebels drove genocide perpetrators into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The criminal complaint stated that even during recent questioning by federal agents concerning his activities prior to entering the U.S. and documents he signed when obtaining citizenship, Nshimiye continued to make false statements to conceal his participation in the genocide.

On March 26, 2024, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted Nshimiye on four counts of perjury, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of engaging in a scheme to conceal material information from federal authorities. Michael J. Krol, then Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England, said at the time of the indictment: "Agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center spend years interviewing survivors, working with historians, and investigating cases to uncover the true pasts of suspected human rights violators and war criminals and hold them accountable," adding, "We will tirelessly pursue those who seek to use the United States as a safe haven from justice." The details at the time of the indictment were allegations, and the current verdict is on the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

False Testimony at Fellow Perpetrator’s Trial: "We Did Not Participate"

In 2017, the United States indicted Teganya on charges of applying for asylum in the United States while concealing his MRND membership and participation in the genocide. In 2019, Nshimiye testified in court as a defense witness for Teganya, stating that neither he nor Teganya had participated in the genocide or were members of the MRND. Teganya was convicted in April 2019 of two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye aided Teganya's obstruction of justice and testified falsely regarding Teganya's MRND activities at Teganya's trial. Nshimiye also committed perjury by denying his own MRND membership. The Department of Justice stated that "Nshimiye’s lies to the federal jury in that trial served as the basis for his convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice."

U.S. Attorney: "The United States Protects Victims, Not Violent Criminals"

"Eric Tabaro Nshimiye lived a life woven with lies and deception," said Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. "He gained refuge in this country by lying to immigration officials about his role in the Rwandan genocide and the heinous acts he committed against the Tutsi community." U.S. Attorney Foley added, "The United States protects victims, not violent criminals, and with this verdict, Mr. Nshimiye can no longer hide behind his lies."

A. Tysen Duva, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said, "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." Duva added, "He lied to immigration authorities to become a U.S. citizen, and he lied to a federal jury to protect himself and a fellow perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide. Thanks to the bravery of the survivors in this case and the dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who ensured Nshimiye could not outrun his past, he will now pay the price for his crimes."

Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England, said, "Eric Nshimiye is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He posed as a refugee in the United States, insulting the countless Rwandans who were terrorized and displaced by the genocide in which he violently participated." Acting Special Agent in Charge Grimming said, "He enjoyed the American dream through a life built on decades of deceit, and now a federal jury has put an end to his deception." He continued, "This verdict belongs to the victims who traveled from the other side of the world to bravely testify and recount the most horrific moments of their lives. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and sacrifice."

On October 28, HSI New England posted on its official X account: "Guilty verdict for man who lied about involvement in Rwandan genocide," adding, "Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, 54, of Uniontown, Ohio was convicted of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice."

Up to 5 Years in Prison per Perjury Count, Up to 10 Years for Obstruction of Justice

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye faces up to five years in prison for each of the four perjury counts and up to 10 years in prison for the obstruction of justice count. Each charge also carries 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 other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by HSI Boston with assistance from the HSI Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009, the center supports government efforts to identify and prosecute human rights violators in the United States, including those who have participated or are suspected of participating in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killing, female genital mutilation, and the recruitment or use of child soldiers.

The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Foley; Deputy Assistant Attorney General Duva; Acting Special Agent in Charge Grimming; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Detroit; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Boston Resident Office; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate in Boston. The Copley Police Department in Ohio and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Looney of the District of Massachusetts' National Security Unit and Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), with critical assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA).

The U.S. Department of Justice urged members of the public who have information about suspected human rights violators in the United States to contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423), or from overseas at 001-1802-872-6199, or submit tips to U.S. law enforcement authorities via email or the online tip form.

Sources (KST)

• U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs Press Release, "Ohio Man Convicted for Lying About His Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide" (2026-10-28): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ohio-man-convicted-lying-about-his-involvement-rwandan-genocide
• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts Press Release, "Ohio Man Convicted for Lying About His Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide" (2026-10-28): https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/ohio-man-convicted-lying-about-his-involvement-rwandan-genocide
• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts Press Release, "Ohio Man Arrested for Decades-Long Scheme to Conceal His Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide" (2024-03-21): https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/ohio-man-arrested-decades-long-scheme-conceal-his-involvement-rwandan-genocide
• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts Press Release, "Ohio Man Indicted for Concealing His Involvement in the Rwandan Genocide" (2024-03-26): https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/ohio-man-indicted-concealing-his-involvement-rwandan-genocide
• Official X post by the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (2026-10-28): https://x.com/DOJCrimDiv/status/2115524087359394293
• Official X post by HSI New England (2026-10-28): https://x.com/HSINewEngland/status/2115540202647367908