Ohio man convicted of lying about involvement in Rwandan genocide

A federal jury convicted an Ohio man of perjury and obstruction of justice Tuesday for lying about his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide during another man’s immigration fraud trial.

Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, 54, who lived in Uniontown and worked as an engineer for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. when he was arrested in 2024, was found guilty in Boston on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye entered the United States as a refugee in 1995 after fleeing Rwanda the previous year. Prosecutors said he failed to disclose his involvement in attacks against ethnic Tutsis and continued providing false information to immigration authorities while obtaining permanent residency and citizenship.

Nshimiye’s convictions stem from testimony he gave during the 2019 trial of Jean Leonard Teganya, a former classmate who was charged with concealing his own involvement in the genocide to obtain asylum in the United States.

During that trial, Nshimiye testified that neither he nor Teganya participated in the genocide or belonged to the ruling Hutu-dominated political party, known as the MRND.

Teganya was convicted in April 2019 of two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury.

Prosecutors said evidence presented during Nshimiye’s trial showed he participated in attacks against Tutsi men and women while attending medical school at the University of Rwanda in Butare during the early 1990s.

One witness, who was 17 at the time of the genocide, testified that he saw Nshimiye beat a tailor working at the university hospital to death with a club.

Other witnesses testified that Nshimiye participated in roadblocks where Tutsis were separated from Hutus and taken away to be killed. Several also identified him as a member of the MRND, the political party associated with the Hutu-led government during the genocide.

The 1994 genocide resulted in the deaths of approximately 800,000 people, predominantly ethnic Tutsis, over roughly 100 days.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said Nshimiye spent nearly three decades concealing his involvement in the genocide.

“Then, he lied to immigration officials in order to become a U.S. citizen, and he lied to a federal jury to protect himself and a fellow perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide,” Duva said in a release.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts also criticized Nshimiye’s deception.

“He obtained refuge in this country by lying to immigration officials about his involvement in the Rwandan genocide and the appalling acts he committed on the Tutsi community,” Foley said.

Nshimiye’s attorney, Kurt Kerns, disputed the allegations during the trial, arguing that the accusations were fabricated and that his client was not in Butare when the violence began.

“We are obviously very disappointed with the verdict, but we will continue to pursue all avenues of relief on Eric’s behalf,” Kerns told Reuters.

According to Reuters, Nshimiye became a U.S. citizen in 2003.

Nshimiye is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 26, 2027. He faces up to five years in prison on each perjury count and up to 10 years on the obstruction of justice count.

Homeland Security Investigations Boston investigated the case with assistance from its Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.