Laye Sekou Camara, 47, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for using and possessing a green card obtained through false statements about his involvement in the Liberian civil war. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney David Metcalf, the Justice Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Camara was arrested in March 2022 and indicted two months later on three counts of using and one count of possessing a fraudulently obtained green card. He pleaded guilty to all charges in January.
Court records show that Camara entered the United States in 2010 with an immigrant visa and later became a lawful permanent resident after claiming he had not participated in extrajudicial killings or violence, nor been involved with paramilitary or rebel groups or engaged in recruiting child soldiers.
At a preliminary sentencing hearing on January 23, nine Liberian witnesses testified about Camara’s actions as a commander for the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group. Witnesses described incidents where civilians were killed or terrorized under his command. One farmer recounted: “K-1 and his boys surrounded the town, . . . [and] . . . [t]hose who refused to be arrested, those who resisted, they were killed.” Another witness described how Camara shot a pregnant woman and her son after she objected to LURD’s recruitment efforts.
Other testimony included accounts of LURD rebels firing on civilians seeking food and attacking central Monrovia under Camara’s orders. This attack struck the U.S. Embassy compound and resulted in the death of a local embassy guard and other civilians. Witnesses also spoke about acts intended to humiliate victims; one described how Camara tied up a man before cutting off his ear.
U.S. Attorney Metcalf stated: “The defendant was a notorious LURD commander, brutal even by the standards of the Second Liberian Civil War, and he lied about his past to build a new life in the United States. Today’s sentence holds him responsible for his immigration fraud and officially ends his efforts to avoid accountability for his horrific crimes.”
Special Agent Edward V. Owens from HSI Philadelphia said: “As a leader in Liberia’s civil war, Mr. Camara facilitated atrocities against civilians in his own country including the use of child soldiers. By concealing his crimes in Liberia, Camara was able to obtain immigration benefits and use those documents to seek employment and a new life here. HSI will not allow the United States to become a refuge for human rights violators or for individuals who secure lawful status through deception. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and international partners to identify fraud, protect the integrity of the immigration system, and support the prosecutors that hold these offenders accountable.”
The investigation involved HSI Philadelphia with assistance from Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General and diplomatic security officials at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia.
The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), led by HSI since its creation in 2009, supported this case as part of its mission to identify human rights abusers living within U.S. borders.
Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright, Kelly Harrell, Patrick Brown from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as well as Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour from DOJ’s Criminal Division Human Rights section.
Members of the public are encouraged to report information regarding former human rights violators residing in the United States via tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423), internationally at 001-1802-872-6199; email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov; or submit tips online.
