A Brazilian national residing in Malden, Massachusetts, has been sentenced in a federal court in Boston for providing false information on his asylum application and during an immigration hearing. Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 31, was sentenced to 16 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper. Following his sentence, De Abreu is subject to deportation.
In February 2025, De Abreu pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury after being indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. The charges stem from De Abreu's failure to disclose his arrest related to the murders of 11 people in Brazil, known as The Slaughter of Curió.
De Abreu joined the Ceara State Military Police in April 2014. On November 12, 2015, he participated with other officers in a mass killing event targeting young individuals from impoverished neighborhoods in Ceará's capital. The incident was retaliation for the death of a police officer defending his wife.
Arrested on August 31, 2016, by Brazilian authorities and released pending trial on May 24, 2017, De Abreu applied for a U.S. B2 visitor visa two weeks later without disclosing his arrest record. His visa was approved based on false representations.
Using this visa, De Abreu traveled to Miami on May 30, 2018. Between then and August 14, 2023, he acquired various state driver’s licenses and employment authorizations due to the approved visa application.
On January 29, 2020, De Abreu applied for asylum while failing to disclose prior accusations or arrests outside the United States. He also omitted details about his Brazilian arrest when applying for status adjustment with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Convicted on June 25, 2023, of multiple counts including murder and torture by the First Court of Fortaleza in Ceará, De Abreu received a sentence exceeding two centuries along with an arrest warrant.
During an immigration hearing on February 9, 2024, De Abreu falsely testified under oath that he had not lied to immigration officials regarding critical information omissions.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley alongside several special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and other agencies involved in investigating the case with assistance from the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan prosecuted the case.
