{"id":55028,"date":"2023-12-13T20:43:38","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T04:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=55028"},"modified":"2023-12-13T20:44:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T04:44:13","slug":"croatian-man-who-got-a-green-card-to-live-in-u-s-allegedly-committed-a-war-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=55028","title":{"rendered":"Ohio Man Who Got a “Green Card” to Live in U.S. Allegedly Committed a War Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"On Wednesday, officials stated that a man from Ohio admitted to authorities that he had emigrated to the US illegally to seek a green card, as he had concealed the fact that he had been charged with a war crime in Croatia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jugoslav Vidic, 55, of Parma Heights, was charged with a war crime against civilians in Croatia. Still, officials stated that he lied on his application to become a lawful permanent resident of the US, claiming he had never been charged with any crime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, Vidic left out his time serving in the Serb Army of Krajina and its predecessors from 1991 to 1995 during the Yugoslavian Civil War while erroneously claiming to have been only in the Yugoslav Army from 1988 to 1989. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
USA Visa document<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These claims were so untrue that they led to Vidic’s green card approval and legal permanent status.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy pleading guilty, Jugoslav Vidic admitted that he lied in his application to become a lawful permanent U.S. resident, hiding the fact that he had been charged with and convicted in absentia of committing war crimes in Croatia,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. \u201cHe also admitted to concealing his military service during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, including in the specialized \u2018Red Berets\u2019 unit. Vidic tried to outrun his past, but today it caught up with him.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding, “Our country has long provided opportunities for refugees searching for a better life. Still, America extends that privilege with the expectation that applicants respect basic human rights and are truthful about their personal history. The Justice Department will hold accountable anyone, such as Vidic, who abuses our immigration system by trying to hide his crimes against humanity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Vidic was charged with a war crime in Croatia in 1994 and convicted in absentia in 1998. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Croatian court found that during an attack by ethnic Serb forces in Petrinja, Croatia, on Sept. 16, 1991, Vidic cut off the arm of civilian Stjepan Komes, who died afterward. <\/span><\/p>\n

Vidic was aware of the Croatian charges when he arrived as a refugee in 1999, applied to become a legal permanent resident in 2000, interviewed U.S. immigration officials, and received his green card in 2005.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis guilty plea underscores the importance of these complex investigations and the closure they can provide to victims\u2019 families,\u201d said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). \u201cHSI special agents, along with our law enforcement partners both here in the United States and across the globe, will continue the vital work of ensuring that war criminals like Vidic can no longer hide from justice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe FBI is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of war crimes find no safe haven in the United States and are held accountable for lying and fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizen privileges,\u201d said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI\u2019s Criminal Investigative Division. \u201cThe FBI will continue to work alongside our domestic and international partners to pursue justice \u2014 no matter how long it takes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vidic pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an alien registration receipt card, knowing it had been procured through materially false statements. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the plea agreement, Vidic agreed to the entry of a judicial order of removal from the United States. Vidic would be required to serve any sentence imposed in the United States before being removed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center coordinates the case investigation between HSI and the FBI, including the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Justice Department thanks the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia, both instrumental in furthering the investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division\u2019s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Jerome J. Teresinski for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Justice Department\u2019s Office of International Affairs also assisted.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, officials stated that a man from Ohio admitted to authorities that he had emigrated to the US illegally to seek a green card, as he had concealed the fact that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nOhio Man Who Got a "Green Card" to Live in U.S. Allegedly Committed a War Crime<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Wednesday, officials stated that a man from Ohio admitted to authorities that he had emigrated to the US illegally to seek a green card, as he had\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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