ATLANTA - Mladen Mitrovic, who served in the Bosnian Serb Army and worked as a prison guard in a camp that was part of the infamous “ethnic cleansing" that occurred during the Bosnian War, was found guilty of obtaining his American citizenship by providing false and fraudulent information on his naturalization application.
“Mitrovic thought that he could bury his past and the horrific human rights violations he committed during the Bosnian War," said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “A jury saw through his deceit and he will now be held accountable for failing to be truthful during the naturalization process."
“This case demonstrates the Justice Department’s continued commitment to denying safe haven to human rights violators," said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. “No matter how long it takes, we will pursue justice, protect the integrity of our immigration system, and seek accountability for crimes."
“Human rights violators who think they can conceal their past to escape accountability in the United States are sorely mistaken," said Nick S. Annan, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta. “This individual tried to cheat our nation's immigration system by lying about his actions during the Bosnian Civil War. This result shows that HSI is firmly committed to investigating and identifying criminals who seek to exploit our nation's welcoming policy toward legitimate war refugees."
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: In 1996, Mitrovic was permitted to immigrate to the United States based on his statements in his refugee application that he feared persecution if he remained in Bosnia. In 2002, he naturalized as an American citizen. The evidence presented at trial also demonstrated that on his naturalization application, Mitrovic stated, among other things, that he had never persecuted anyone because of their race, religion or membership in a social group; he had never committed a criminal offense for which he had not been arrested; and he had never provided any false or misleading information to obtain an immigration benefit, such as refugee status.
In reality, as the trial evidence established, during the Bosnian War, Mitrovic had been a guard in one of the prison camps that the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) opened in May 1992 to “ethnically cleanse" northwest Bosnia of non-Serb minorities. At trial, one victim testified that Mitrovic had used a sharp military knife to carve a Christian cross into his chest, saying from that moment on, he “was going to be a Serb." Others testified that Mitrovic and other soldiers beat non-Serb prisoners into unconsciousness or threatened to kill them with automatic rifles. Bosnian government documents also showed that in February 1996, Mitrovic applied for and was later awarded veterans’ benefits for his later military service in the VRS during the Bosnian War. Trial evidence showed that Mitrovic failed to disclose any of this conduct or military service on his refugee and naturalization applications.
Sentencing for Mladen Mitrovic, 54, of Loganville, Georgia, is scheduled for Aug. 25, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Assistant United States Attorneys William Traynor and Jessica Morris, and Christina Giffin, Assistant Deputy Chief of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Justice Department are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
