A Rwandan man has been convicted in the United States of lying under oath about his involvement in the killings and helping a fellow genocide perpetrator conceal his role in the atrocities.

Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, 54, was found guilty by a federal jury in Boston on Tuesday of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice over testimony he gave during the 2019 trial of Jean Leonard Teganya, who was later convicted of immigration fraud and perjury.

Tabaro, who lives in Ohio, fled Rwanda for Kenya in 1994 before entering the US as a refugee in 1995. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2027, with his latest conviction carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each perjury count and up to 10 years for obstruction of justice.

According to US officials, Tabaro lied to immigration officials about his involvement in the genocide to gain entry into the US and later obtain permanent residence and citizenship.

He is also accused of lying to a federal jury when he testified in Leonard’s defence in 2019, denying that either of them had participated in the genocide or belonged to the Hutu-dominated ruling party, the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND, associated with the killings.

Leonard was convicted in April 2019 of two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury after prosecutors accused him of concealing his involvement in the genocide while seeking asylum in the US.

Evidence presented during Tabaro’s trial linked him to attacks against Tutsi men and women while he was a medical student at the University of Rwanda in Butare in the early 1990s. Prosecutors said he took part in attacks in which victims were struck on the head with clubs. Witnesses also testified that he participated in roadblocks where Tutsis were separated from Hutus and targeted for killing.

One witness, who was 17 at the time of the genocide, told the court he had seen Tabaro club to death a tailor who worked at the university hospital. Other witnesses described him as an active member of the MRND.

“Eric Tabaro Nshimiye lived under a web of lies and deception. He obtained refuge in this Country by lying to immigration officials about his involvement in the Rwandan genocide and the appalling acts he committed against the Tutsi community,” US Attorney Leah B. Foley said.

“This verdict ensures he can no longer hide behind his lies.”