A 65-year-old beekeeper in Central Islip, New York has been unmasked as an alleged perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide. The Department of Justice announced Thursday that Faustin Nsabumukunzi of Bridgehampton was charged with lying on his green card and U.S. citizenship applications about his role in the 1994 genocide. The DOJ said court documents showed that Nsabumukunzi used his power as a local leader to oversee violence against the minority Tutsi population by implementing roadblocks and participating in the killings. Nsabumukunzi was later convicted in absentia by a Rwandan court for genocide, the DOJ said, citing court filings. He moved to the U.S. under a refugee resettlement program in 2003, received a green card four years later, and submitted applications for naturalization in 2009 and 2015. The DOJ accused Nsabumukunzi of lying to U.S. immigration officials in his applications by falsely denying any involvement in the Rwandan genocide. He was charged with one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud in violation, which come with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. The New York Times reported that Nsabumukunzi pleaded not guilty on Thursday and was released on a $250,000 bond posted by Steve Felsher, a private equity entrepreneur on Long Island.
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