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Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Former mayor from Haiti sentenced to nine years for visa fraud
During Friday's sentencing, Viliena's attorney, Jason Benzaken, maintained his client's innocence and asked for leniency because it was his first criminal conviction. Benzaken did not respond to a request for comment Friday night. Until his arrest two years ago, Viliena had Advertisement 'Today's sentence brings a measure of justice for the lives he shattered and sends a clear message: the United States will not be a safe haven for human rights abusers.' Viliena was also Advertisement Viliena served as mayor of Les Irois from December 2006 until at least February 2010, Foley's office said. Prosecutors detailed a pattern of violence and intimidation linked to his time in office during the two-week trial that led to his conviction. Both during his campaign and tenure, Viliena committed numerous violent acts backed by Korega, a hardline political faction notorious for attacking journalists, activists, and opponents, the statement said. In 2007, Viliena allegedly led a mob targeting David Boniface, a witness who testified against him. When they found only Boniface's younger brother, Eclesiaste, at home, Viliena and his men shot and killed him. One attacker 'smashed his skull with a large rock before a crowd of bystanders,' the statement said. In 2008, when local activists and journalists launched a community radio station, Viliena and his allies forcibly shut it down. He armed Korega members—some carrying machetes and picks—and personally led the attack, according to the statement. Viliena pistol-whipped and punched one victim, Nissage Martyr, and when Martyr tried to flee, ordered an associate to shoot him. Martyr was hit in the leg and later had it amputated above the knee. Another victim, Juders Ysemé, was shot in the face and left permanently blind in one eye, according to Foley's office. In 2009, as Haitian investigators probed these actions, Viliena fled to Malden on a legal visa. After being indicted in Haiti in 2010, he skipped trial, and no in absentia proceedings occurred, according to a Advertisement Boniface, Martyr, and Ysemé filed the civil suit in 2017 under the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows victims to seek justice in U.S. courts when denied in their home countries, Foley's office said. Both Boniface and Ysemé testified at Viliena's criminal trial as well. Boniface broke down on the stand when shown a photo of his brother's bloodied body. 'This is the picture of my brother who Jean Morose and his group assassinated,' he said, speaking in Haitian Creole, the Globe On Friday, Viliena's attorney argued for a lighter sentence for his client. 'Mr. Viliena has never been convicted of a crime and therefore this is his first incarceration,' said Benzaken. 'It has been a jarring and destabilizing experience for him, and 33 months of imprisonment is significantly impactful to him.' The court rejected those arguments. In addition to the nine-year prison term, Viliena was sentenced to three years of supervised release and faces deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence, according to Foley's office. Rita Chandler can be reached at
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Haitian mayor who lied about violent past convicted of U.S. visa fraud, feds say
The former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti who committed 'unspeakable acts of violence in Haiti' has been convicted of visa fraud for lying about his violent past to secure a green card to live in the United States, the U.S. Attorney said. Jean Morose Viliena, 52, was convicted by a federal jury in Boston of three counts of visa fraud, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Friday. Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 20. Viliena was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023. Prosecutors said Viliena 'ordered and carried out brutal extrajudicial and political killings against the Haitian people' in Haiti. He later lied to immigration officials in 2008 to obtain a permanent resident card in the United States. 'The political corruption and violence that the people of Haiti endured at the direction of Jean Morose Viliena, is appalling,' Foley said. 'The United States is not where you come to hide from your crimes.' Viliena's conviction 'is proof that running away from your crimes and lying to federal officials will catch up to you. I applaud the courage of the witnesses who spoke up about the abuse they suffered as a result of Viliena,' Foley said. Head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division Matthew Galeotti said in a statement, 'A jury found that Jean Morose Viliena lied his way into gaining entrance into the United States after committing unspeakable acts of violence in Haiti. 'The Justice Department will not stand for human rights violators illegally entering and roaming the streets of our communities. Thank you to the brave victims and witnesses who helped our law enforcement partners and prosecutors begin to hold Viliena accountable for his crimes,' Galeotti said. According to court documents, Viliena was the Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti from December 2006 until February 2010. As a candidate and as mayor, Viliena was backed by a political machine called Korega, which exerts power throughout the southwestern region of Haiti through armed violence, prosecutors said. Viliena personally supervised his mayoral staff and security detail and led an armed group in Les Irois aligned with Korega. Under Viliena's direct supervision, the Korega militia enforced Viliena's policies by various means, including by targeting political opponents in Les Irois through armed violence, prosecutors said. According to the indictment, as mayor, Viliena was involved in several instances of violence. The first occurred around July 27, 2007 when a witness spoke at a judicial proceeding in Les Irois on behalf of a neighbor who had been assaulted by Viliena. In reprisal for that testimony, that night, Viliena led an armed group to that witness' home, where Viliena and his associates shot and killed the witness' younger brother, and then smashed his skull with a large rock before a crowd of bystanders, according to the indictment. The second incident occurred in or around April 2008, when a group of local journalists and activists founded a community radio station. According to court documents, Viliena opposed establishment of the radio station and, on April 8, 2008, mobilized members of his staff and the Korega militia to forcibly shut down the radio station and seize its broadcasting equipment. At that time, Viliena distributed firearms to the Korega militia members, some of whom also carried machetes and picks. On the day of the attack on the radio station, Viliena pistol-whipped a person with his gun and struck him with his fists. When the person tried to flee, Viliena ordered one of his associates to shoot and kill him, according to court documents. Shots were fired which hit the person in the leg. The victim spent several months in various hospitals and his leg was later amputated above his knee. Another person, also a citizen of Haiti, became a target of Viliena because of his association with the radio station. On the day of the attack of the radio station, that person was present and when he tried to flee, he was hit by a bullet in the face. He required months of intensive medical treatment, including two surgeries to extract shotgun pellets from his face, which left him permanently blind in one eye. According to court documents, pieces of shotgun pellets remain in the victim's scalp and arms. Foley said on June 3, 2008, Viliena went to the U.S. Embassy Consular Office in Port au Prince, Haiti, where he submitted an Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, Form DS-230, Part II in order to gain entry to the United States. The form specifically requires that each applicant state whether or not they are a member of any class of individuals that are excluded from admission into the United States, including those who have 'ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.' Viliena falsely responded that he was not. Viliena thereafter swore to, or affirmed, before a U.S. Consular Officer that the contents of the application were true and signed the application, Foley said. According to court documents, thereafter, on or about June 4, 2008 and based upon Viliena's false representations in the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Form DS-230, the U.S. Department of State approved Viliena's DS-230 application. On or about July 14, 2008 – as the result of the approval of his DS-230 application – Viliena gained entry into the United States. He was thereafter granted lawful permanent residence status in the United States. Viliena received a Permanent Resident Card. Viliena has continued to possess a Permanent Resident Card and has used such card on numerous occasions to enter the United States, officials said. 'Viliena knowingly lied to conceal his violent past, deceiving immigration authorities to come to the United States. The brave witnesses who came forward to testify in this case relayed their experiences of extreme violence and oppression committed by Viliena and his associates,' Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations New England said in a statement. 'Thanks to their testimony, his fraud has been uncovered and he will now face consequences for his violence and deception.' Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office, said in a statement that 'The men and women of CBP work diligently alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of the people in our communities. Emigrating to the United States is a privilege and if you conceal your criminal conduct to deceive your way into this country, you will ultimately be detected, held accountable and brought to justice.' For the charge of visa fraud, Viliena faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. 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Boston Globe
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Former Haitian mayor found guilty of visa fraud for hiding violent past to get into US
US District Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 20. Viliena, who has been held without bail since his March 2023 indictment, will remain in custody. Advertisement During closing arguments Friday, Assistant US Attorney Laura Kaplan described Viliena as a powerful and dangerous man who lied on his 2008 application for a permanent resident card — commonly referred to as a green card — to 'hide his dark past.' The government presented evidence that Viliena served as mayor of Les Irois from 2006 to early 2010, backed by Korega, a political operation which used armed violence to target political opponents, local journalists, and activists. Viliena 'sought to conceal his past and avoid accountability,' said Kaplan, adding that he spent two decades enjoying life in the United States and 'avoiding responsibility for his brutal acts.' But, Viliena's attorney, Jason Benzaken, argued during his closing remarks that some of the government's witnesses were 'gangsters' who falsely implicated Viliena in crimes that they had committed. 'This is a very heartbreaking verdict,' Benzaken said outside the courtroom after his client was led away in handcuffs. 'We believe Mr. Viliena is innocent.' Jurors weren't told that another jury at the US District Court in Boston found Viliena liable in a civil case two years ago and ordered him Advertisement David Boniface, one of the men who won the civil judgment, sobbed on the witness stand when he testified against Viliena during the criminal trial and was shown a photograph of his younger brother's bloodied body lying on the street outside their family home in Les Irois. 'This is the picture of my brother who Jean Morose and his group assassinated,' said Boniface, speaking in Haitian Creole that was translated to English by an interpreter. 'He had holes on his body and his head was smashed.' Boniface testified that his brother, Eclesiaste, was killed on July 27, 2007, by a mob led by Viliena after they went to the family's home looking for Boniface but only found his brother there. Earlier that day, Boniface said Viliena, who is his cousin, was furious when he testified at a judicial proceeding on behalf of a neighbor who was allegedly assaulted by the mayor. He said he reported his brother's slaying to numerous authorities in Haiti, but no charges were brought against Viliena. 'I was seeking justice,' said Boniface, who joined two other victims in filing the civil suit in Boston and urged authorities to bring criminal charges. Prosecutors alleged that Viliena failed to disclose on visa documents that he and his associates shot and killed Eclesiaste Boniface in 2007. They also alleged Viliena and his men shot and beat Ysemé and Nissage Martyr during a 2008 attack on a radio station in Haiti. Ysemé was shot in the face, and Nissage Martyr was shot in the leg, according to testimony at the civil trial. Nissage Martyr died in 2017. The defense called a number of witnesses who supported Viliena's claims that he had nothing to do with Eclesiaste Boniface's slaying or the attack on the radio station. Advertisement 'I suggest to you the witnesses who testified on behalf of Mr. Viliena had no reason to lie to you,' Benzaken said during closing arguments. He argued that the US governmen has historically listened to 'the wrong people' in Haiti and in Viliena's case 'it's given its ear to political, lying gangsters.' But the government argued that the defense witnesses 'have strong motivation to lie' and had been supporters of Viliena for decades. Kaplan argued that Viliena concealed his violent past when applying for entry to the United States because he knew he'd be turned away if he told the truth. 'He would have had to stay in Les Irois and face the music,' Kaplan told jurors. Shelley Murphy can be reached at
