Jean Morose Viliena, a former mayor of Les Irois in Haiti, was found guilty on Friday by a federal jury in Boston on charges of visa fraud. Prosecutors revealed that Viliena had lied about his involvement in a violent campaign of torture and extrajudicial killings targeting his political opponents in order to secure a green card and residency in the United States.
Viliena, 52, who has been living as a lawful permanent resident in Malden, Massachusetts, was convicted on three counts of visa fraud. The charges stemmed from his 2008 visa application, where he falsely declared that he had not ordered or participated in acts of violence against the Haitian people. However, prosecutors argued that during his tenure as mayor from 2006 to 2010, Viliena either directly committed or ordered numerous atrocities, including beatings, shootings, and murders.
The conviction comes just one day after another jury ordered Viliena to pay $15.5 million in damages in a civil case brought by three Haitian victims—David Boniface, Juders Yseme, and Nissage Martyr. These individuals accused Viliena of orchestrating violent attacks against them and their families. Among the allegations were claims that Viliena led armed groups to Boniface’s home in 2007, resulting in the fatal shooting of Boniface’s brother, and that he organized an assault on a community radio station in 2008, where Yseme and Martyr were shot.
The civil case was filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows U.S. lawsuits against foreign officials accused of extrajudicial killings or torture when justice cannot be obtained locally. Viliena has denied the accusations and is appealing the civil ruling.
Prosecutors emphasized that Viliena spent two decades evading accountability for his brutal actions while enjoying life in the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Kaplan described him as a dangerous individual who deliberately hid his violent past to escape justice.
Chief U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor has scheduled Viliena’s sentencing for June 20. He remains detained without bail following his indictment in 2023. The case underscores the challenges of addressing human rights abuses committed by foreign officials and highlights the persistent violence that has plagued Haiti for years.
