A Bosnian national, accused of beating prisoners in his native country among other war crimes, has been indicted after allegedly lying to United States officials in an attempt to secure naturalized American citizenship, Breitbart News has learned.
This week, a federal grand jury in Boise, Idaho, indicted 66-year-old Miran Kostic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on charges that he repeatedly lied to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials, as well as to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), about his past as a high-level official in the former Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia (APZB), where he allegedly participated in war crimes.
According to the indictment, as an APZB official Kostic beat prisoners, including pistol-whipping them, hitting them with wood clubs and stakes, punching them, kicking them, and causing them to lose consciousness.
In other instances, the indictment alleges that Kostic forced prisoners to beat each other and ordered other APZB officials to beat prisoners. None of this, the indictment says, was disclosed to U.S. officials in Kostic’s naturalization application and interviews.
“Miran Kostic benefited from U.S. residency for decades and ultimately attempted to become a naturalized citizen, all while concealing the human rights abuses he committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in a statement.
“Individuals who commit atrocities abroad and lie to immigration authorities to seek safe haven in the United States will be investigated and prosecuted,” Duva said. “The integrity of our naturalization process and the enforcement of our immigration laws are paramount concerns.”
Kostic, for attempted naturalization fraud and making material false statements to law enforcement, faces up to 10 years for each fraud charge and up to five years for making false statements.
“Citizenship is a privilege that must be earned with honesty and integrity,” the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) April Miller said. “[Homeland Security Investigations] will not allow the naturalization process to be undermined by fraud. We remain steadfast in our commitment to investigate and prosecute those who conceal their criminal backgrounds to illegally obtain status.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.
