Former Liberian Rebel General Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison for Concealing Serious Human Rights Violations to Fraudulently Obtain Immigration Status in the United States

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf, the Justice Department, and Homeland Security Investigations announced that Laye Sekou Camara, 47, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney for using and possessing a green card that Camara unlawfully obtained by making false statements about his involvement in the civil war in the West African nation of Liberia.

In March of 2022, the defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant and subsequently charged by indictment in May 2022 with three counts of using, and one count of possessing, a fraudulently obtained green card. Camara pleaded guilty to all charges against him in January of this year.

According to court records, in 2010, Camara, also known as "general K-1" and "general Dragon Master," entered the United States pursuant to an immigrant visa and later obtained Lawful Permanent Resident status and a green card by falsely stating on immigration forms that he had never participated in extrajudicial killings or other acts of violence; had never been involved with a paramilitary unit, rebel group, or guerilla group; and had never engaged in the recruitment or use of child soldiers.

At a preliminary sentencing hearing held on January 23, nine Liberian witnesses described how Camara used his position of power in the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group to terrorize civilians, committing extrajudicial killings and other atrocities. One farmer in Lofa County, Liberia, described how "K-1 and his boys surrounded the town, . . . [and] . . . [t]hose who refused to be arrested, those who resisted, they were killed." Another witness recounted how Camara used a handgun to kill at close range a pregnant woman and her 13-year-old son after the woman objected to LURD's recruitment of her son.

Other witnesses described how LURD rebels - and Camara specifically - fired on and killed civilians who were trying to obtain food. Camara also ordered a "mortar crew" under his command to attack central Monrovia, striking the U.S. Embassy compound, resulting in the death of a U.S. embassy employee - a Liberian guard - and other civilians. Other witnesses testified about Camara's tactics to humiliate and terrorize civilians, including through mutilation of his victims. In one instance, a witness described how Camara tied a man's hands behind his back and "cut off his right ear," when the man continued to resist.

"The defendant was a notorious LURD commander, brutal even by the standards of the Second Liberian Civil War, and he lied about his past to build a new life in the United States," said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. "Today's sentence holds him responsible for his immigration fraud and officially ends his efforts to avoid accountability for his horrific crimes."

"As a leader in Liberia's civil war, Mr. Camara facilitated atrocities against civilians in his own country including the use of child soldiers," said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. "By concealing his crimes in Liberia, Camara was able to obtain immigration benefits and use those documents to seek employment and a new life here. HSI will not allow the United States to become a refuge for human rights violators or for individuals who secure lawful status through deception. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and international partners to identify fraud, protect the integrity of the immigration system, and support the prosecutors that hold these offenders accountable."

HSI Philadelphia investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia.

The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) supported the case. Established in 2009 and led by HSI, the HRVWCC uses a whole of government approach to further efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright, Kelly Harrell, and Patrick Brown of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section prosecuted the case.

Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email [email protected] or complete this online tip form.