A former Haitian mayor has been sentenced to nine years in a U.S. federal prison after a Boston jury found he fraudulently obtained legal residency by concealing his role in violent political attacks in Haiti.
Jean Morose Viliena, 53, was convicted of committing what prosecutors described as “the most egregious type of immigration fraud.”
He was sentenced on Friday by Chief U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, following a March trial that revealed a pattern of brutality during his tenure as mayor of Les Irois, a remote town in Haiti.
According to federal prosecutors, Viliena lied on his 2008 U.S. visa application, claiming he had never participated in or ordered political killings or violence.
In reality, he had allegedly led or coordinated a campaign of intimidation, torture, and murder against his political opponents.
“This sentence provides justice to the survivors and the families of victims who continue to suffer,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo, requesting the maximum penalty of 10 years.
While Viliena’s legal team insisted on his innocence, the evidence against him was bolstered by a previous civil case in 2023, where a jury awarded $15.5 million to three Haitian plaintiffs.
The case, filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act, involved survivors who accused Viliena of orchestrating or directly carrying out acts of violence.
Among the victims were David Boniface, Juders Yseme, and Nissage Martyr, who told a chilling story of repression. In 2007, prosecutors said Viliena led armed men to Boniface’s home, where his brother was beaten and fatally shot.
A year later, he allegedly organized a violent raid at a local community radio station where Martyr and Yseme were beaten and shot, leaving lasting physical damage.
At the time of his indictment, Viliena was living quietly in Malden, Massachusetts, working as a truck driver.
His attorney, Jason Benzaken, argued that the nine-year sentence was “heavier than we believed was called for under the guidelines,” and confirmed Viliena plans to appeal both the criminal conviction and the earlier civil ruling.
The case underscores how U.S. courts can pursue justice when foreign governments fail to act.
Federal authorities brought charges under immigration law, but relied heavily on testimony and findings from the civil case under the Torture Victim Protection Act.
Prosecutors emphasized that the U.S. is not a refuge for perpetrators of political violence, regardless of how long ago the crimes occurred or how quietly they’ve lived in America since.
The ruling is expected to bring some measure of closure to the victims’ families, who spent nearly two decades seeking accountability after domestic efforts in Haiti proved fruitless.