ATLANTA – A jury has convicted Mezemr Abebe Belayneh of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship by lying about his role in persecuting teenagers in Ethiopia because of their political views. Belayneh concealed this behavior when he received a visa to enter the United States in 2001 and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2008. The jury convicted Belayneh on one count of unlawful citizenship and one count of acquiring citizenship to which he was not entitled. The HSI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case with coordination from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
