MINNESOTA – A man who allegedly committed numerous crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina and didn’t disclose it on his U.S. refugee or green card applications was arrested today on immigration fraud, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Criminal allegations against Zdenko Jakiša, 45, of Forest Lake, include the murder of an elderly Bosnian Serb woman and the kidnapping, robbery and assault of a Bosnian Muslim man in September 1993, officials said.
Jakiša made an initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court and is scheduled for a detention hearing on May 12, 2014.
According to the indictment unsealed today, Jakiša, a former member of the armed forces of the Croatian Defense Council in Bosnia-Herzegovina, committed immigration fraud by providing false and fraudulent information about his military service during the Bosnian conflict, his criminal record in Bosnia-Herzegovina and his commission of crimes of moral turpitude.
Jakisa is presumed innocent until and if, he is proven guilty.