Laye Sekou Camara, a 47-year-old resident of Mays Landing, New Jersey, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for immigration fraud after concealing his involvement in human rights violations during Liberia’s civil war. The sentencing took place in Philadelphia before United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney.
Camara entered the United States in 2010 using an immigrant visa and later obtained permanent residency and a green card. He falsely stated on immigration documents that he had not participated in extrajudicial killings or violence, nor had he been involved with any paramilitary or rebel groups or recruited child soldiers.
In March 2022, Camara was arrested and charged with multiple counts related to the fraudulent use and possession of a green card. He pleaded guilty to all charges earlier this year.
During a preliminary sentencing hearing, nine Liberian witnesses testified about Camara’s role as a commander in the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group. Witnesses described incidents of killings, including the shooting deaths of civilians and attacks on people seeking food. One witness recounted that “K-1 and his boys surrounded the town, . . . [and] . . . [t]hose who refused to be arrested, those who resisted, they were killed.” Another described how Camara shot a pregnant woman and her son after she objected to LURD’s recruitment efforts.
Testimony also included accounts of attacks ordered by Camara on central Monrovia that struck the U.S. Embassy compound and resulted in civilian casualties, including the death of a Liberian guard employed by the embassy. Additional witnesses spoke about tactics used to humiliate civilians such as mutilation; one account detailed how Camara cut off a man’s ear when he resisted.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf stated: “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. Today’s sentence holds him responsible for his immigration fraud and officially ends his efforts to avoid accountability for his horrific crimes.”
Edward V. Owens, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia added: “As a leader in Liberia’s civil war, Mr. Camara facilitated atrocities against civilians in his own country including the use of child soldiers. 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.”
The investigation was conducted by HSI Philadelphia with assistance from Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General and Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia.
The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), established by HSI in 2009, supported this case by coordinating government efforts aimed at finding suspected perpetrators of war crimes residing within U.S borders.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright, Kelly Harrell, Patrick Brown from Eastern District of Pennsylvania along with Chelsea Schinnour from Department of Justice Criminal Division prosecuted this matter.
Members of public are encouraged to report information about former human rights violators living in America through designated hotlines or email contacts provided by law enforcement agencies.
