Rwandan man accused of making false statements to gain citizenship

A Cedar Rapids man, originally from Rwanda, told refugee and immigration officials 'what he needed to say to get where he needed to go,” a federal prosecutor said during his opening statement Monday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Narayan said evidence presented this week will show Gervais 'Ken” Ngombwa, made several false statements to refugee and resettlement officials and immigration authorities after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when tens of thousands of refugee applicants were being identified for relocation to the United States.

It wasn't possible for all applicants to gain refugee status, so there were limitations on who would be accepted, Narayan said. It also wasn't possible for officials to conduct background checks on refugees, so they had to rely on the honesty of the applicants.

The indictment states Ngombwa, 56, is charged in U.S. District Court with one count of unlawfully procuring or attempting to procure naturalization or citizenship; one count of procuring citizenship to which he was not entitled; one count of conspiracy to unlawfully procure citizenship; and one count of making a materially false statement to agents of the United States.

Ngombwa made false statements in an attempt to obtain citizenship for himself and family members who came with him to the United States from Rwanda from March 1998 through Nov. 19, 2004, the indictment states. Ngombwa also is accused of making false statements to immigration authorities in 2014.

Narayan explained Ngombwa falsified those statements in interviews and documents, including misleading authorities about the identity of his brother, saying he was a prime minister who ended up in exile, a relationship that would make it difficult for him to go back to Rwanda and help ensure him refugee status for the U.S. The former prime minister wasn't his brother.

There will be witnesses during the trial to explain the Rwandan Civil War between the Hutu majority and the moderate Hutu and Tutsi, which resulted in the mass slaughter of nearly one million people with 100 days, Narayan told the jury. This history and background will help explain how Ngombwa's false statements allowed him to start on the path to gaining naturalization.

John Burns, Ngombwa's lawyer, said during his opening that the defense would focus on the process of the refugee and resettlement process and how there were language barriers and cultural differences that affected Ngombwa's interviews and statements.

Burns said during the trial there would be witnesses who will testify about the process and difficulties that others encountered with these authorities. And Ngombwa himself may take the stand to explain his understanding the of the questions and say it was his intention to provide honest answers.

The trial continues Tuesday and is expected to go into next week.

If convicted of all charges, Ngombwa faces up to 30 years in prison and loss of citizenship.