Bridgehampton Beekeeper Allegedly Hid Role in Rwandan Genocide

A Bridgehampton man was arrested Thursday, April 24 and charged with immigration fraud for allegedly concealing his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide while applying for refugee status and U.S. citizenship.

Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, allegedly served as a local government leader during the genocide and directed violence – including killings and sexual assaults – against ethnic Tutsis, according to federal prosecutors. He is also accused of making false statements on immigration forms to obtain legal residency and later attempt naturalization.

He has pleaded not guilty.

An indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Central Islip charges Nsabumukunzi with visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon, April 24, before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert.

“As alleged, Nsabumukunzi repeatedly lied to conceal his involvement in the horrific Rwandan genocide while seeking to become a lawful permanent resident and citizen of the United States,” said John J. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Prosecutors allege Nsabumukunzi held the title of “Sector Councilor” in Kibirizi, Rwanda, during the genocide and used his position to orchestrate and oversee violence. According to court filings, he allegedly ordered attacks on Tutsi civilians, set up roadblocks where victims were detained and killed, and encouraged the rape of women by armed Hutu men. A Rwandan court has convicted Nsabumukunzi of genocide in absentia, authorities said.

Federal officials say Nsabumukunzi arrived in the United States in 2003 as a refugee, later obtaining a green card in 2007. He allegedly submitted false information under penalty of perjury in multiple immigration applications, denying any involvement in genocide or persecution.

Nsabumukunzi worked as a beekeeper and landscaper in Bridgehampton, and was featured in a 2006 article in The New York Times, which describes him as “a refugee from Rwanda who sought political asylum in the United States with his family in 2004 after 10 years moving between refugee camps.” The article mentions that Nsabumukunzi was also a beekeeper in Rwanda and mentions that his family was “well off” prior to the 1994 genocide, but gives no mention to his purported role in it.

Nsabumukunzi was well established on the East End; his son, Thierry Balihuta is the director of operations for the Sag Harbor Cinema. In 2022, their Sag Harbor home burned down in a fire, where Balihuta lived with Nsabumukunzi and their family, and a GoFundMe was started to raise funds for Nsabumukunzi, Balihuta, Balihuta’s brother Didier Irabizi, and Agnès Mujawayezu, Nsabumukunzi’s ex-wife.

The GoFundMe raised nearly $60,000, and numerous prominent Hamptonites donated to it, including A-list artists and other successful and well-heeled members of the community, showing just how well integrated Nsabumukunzi and his family have been locally.

Nsabumukunzi is being represented by Evan Sugar of the Long Island Federal Defenders Office.

“Mr. Nsabumukunzi is a law-abiding beekeeper and gardener who has lived on Long Island for more than two decades,” Sugar said. “He was a victim of the Rwandan genocide who lost scores of family members and friends to the violence. Mr. Nsabumukunzi was rightfully granted refugee status and lawful permanent residence in this country. We will fight these 30-year-old allegations to the contrary, and Mr. Nsabumukunzi maintains his innocence.”

While the conviction in Rwanda doesn’t look good for Nsabumukunzi, domestic atrocity trials in that country have not been known to be as impartial as the American judicial system might like. A 2024 Human Rights Watch report announcing the release of a series of archives detailing the work of human rights defenders to warn of the impending 1994 genocide in Rwanda and efforts to stop the killings, which also highlights many of the perpetrators who were brought to justice, notes there are “persistent concerns about failure to uphold fair trial standards.”

The report explains, “Compared with most other countries emerging from mass violence, Rwanda’s determination to see justice done and its progress in trying so many alleged perpetrators has been impressive. But the lack of safeguards against abusive prosecutions in a weak judicial system heightened the risk of unfair trials.” Due to this fact, a number of countries holding suspected Rwandan war criminals refused to extradite them.

In a similar case to Nsabumukunzi’s in April 2021, New Hampshire resident Beatrice Munyenyezi was arrested for lying on her naturalization application about her role in the genocide, saying she was a refugee while prosecutors said she was in fact responsible for directing Tutsis to be raped and murdered at Hutu roadblocks, and even shot a nun personally, witnesses told the New Hampshire court. Munyenyezi was convicted and later deported to Rwanda after serving a prison term for the lesser crime of lying on her naturalization application. She was then arrested upon arrival in Rwanda where her trial for the the rape and murder charges resulted in a sentence of life in prison.

In another similar case, in March, Ahmed Napoleon Mbonyunkiza, 57, was deported from the United States to Rwanda. Mbonyunkiza was also convicted of genocide in absentia by a Rwandan court and sentenced to life in prison. Mbonyunkiza had served a 15 year prison sentence in Iowa for an unrelated sexual assault.

Prosecutors also allege that Nsabumukunzi said “I know I’m finished,” when he was arrested Thursday.

“The genocide in Rwanda remains a stain on our collective conscience and, 30 years later, lessons can still be drawn from the actions – or lack thereof – of world leaders in the face of ongoing atrocities,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director at Human Rights Watch, in the 2024 report. “There is an urgent need to expedite the pursuit of justice to ensure that the remaining architects of the genocide are held to account before it is too late.”

Nsabumukunzi, his attorneys, and a French interpreter – though Nsabumukunzi can speak and understand English according to Sugar – appeared in front of Judge Joanna Seybert in federal court in Central Islip at 2:30 p.m.

Sugar and federal prosecutor Samantha Alessi sparred over bail eligibility.

Alessi argued that Nsabumukunzi should be detained because each charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years. She also mentioned that he faces a life sentence in Rwanda for his conviction there. Alessi said that federal investigators traveled to Rwanda and spoke with witnesses to the genocide, who were apparently able to identify Nsabumukunzi as a well-known figurehead and perpetrator of the genocide.

Nsabumukunzi, prosecutors argued, was a married man in his 30s at the time of the alleged crimes, as opposed to an impressionable teenager. Witnesses in Rwanda corroborated the prosecution’s claims of Nsabumukunzi allegedly aiding in burning down of houses, violently clubbing ethnic Tutsis, encouraging sexual assault, and disposing of bodies. Prosecutors also stated that Nsabumukunzi is a flight risk, stating he travels out of the United States frequently – and said he has a girlfriend and five-year-old child in Madagascar.

Alessi said that Nsubumukunzi had been identified to U.S. authorities in 2017, but the witnesses were located in a remote area of Rwanda and were difficult to track down. She said the investigation was also hindered by COVID-related travel restrictions.

Sugar argued that the Rwandan trial that found him guilty occurred in 2008, and an Interpol investigation into the Rwandan genocide convicted as many as 93 individuals, but did not include Nsabumukunzi. Sugar also argued that Nsabumukunzi should be released on bail because of his relatively clean record since moving to the United States – the one blemish being pleading guilty to disorderly conduct six years ago. He also argued that Nsabumunkunzi is of mixed Hutu and Tutsi heritage and was, himself, a victim of the Rwandan genocide.

An estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the three-month genocide.

Sugar proposed a bail of $100,000. Thierry Balihuta and wealthy venture capitalist Steve Felsher – the latter of whom Sugar said is Nsabumunkunzi’s employer and splits his time between the Hamptons and New York City – agreed to sign the bail letter.

“[Felsher] knows this man’s character, knows these allegations cannot possibly be true,” Sugar argued in court.

Seybert agreed to release Nsabumunkunzi, but raised the bail to $250,000 and declared Nsabumunkunzi is to remain in his Bridgehampton residence other than for medical appointments, court appearances, religious outings, and work – and he is not permitted to leave Suffolk County. He must also wear an ankle bracelet.

Seen leaving the court on Thursday with Balihuta, his son, Nsabumukunzi remained silent when asked to comment on the charges.

Both the defense and prosecution agreed that this is a complex case, and waived Nsabumunkunzi’s right to a speedy trial.

He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. He is due back in court Aug. 5 at 10:30 a.m.