Brazilian Man Indicted for Visa Fraud, Murder Cover-Up

BOSTON – In a shocking revelation, a Brazilian man, Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 30, of Malden, has been indicted for using a fraudulently obtained visa to enter the United States and lying on his asylum application. De Abreu, a former member of the Ceara State Military Police, allegedly participated in the mass killing of 11 people, mostly teenagers, in Brazil in 2015.

According to the indictment, De Abreu was part of a group of military police officers who, on November 12, 2015, killed 11 people in retaliation for the death of a police officer in the Lagoa Redonda neighborhood. The incident, known as A Chacina do Curió or The Slaughter of Curió, resulted in the arrest of 45 individuals, including De Abreu, who was subsequently released pending trial. On June 9, 2017, De Abreu applied for a U.S. non-immigrant B2 visitor visa, lying about his involvement in the killings.

De Abreu’s visa application was approved on June 21, 2017, and he used the B2 visa to travel to Miami on May 30, 2018. Over the next five years, De Abreu obtained various state driver’s licenses, a social security card, travel documents, and authorizations for employment, all while concealing his murder conviction.

On January 29, 2020, De Abreu applied for asylum, lying about his arrest and detention in Brazil. On June 25, 2023, De Abreu was convicted of 11 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and four counts of physical and mental torture in the First Court of Fortaleza, Ceará. He was sentenced to 275 years and 11 months in prison.

On February 9, 2024, De Abreu testified under oath at an immigration hearing, falsely claiming he had never lied to immigration officials. The charge of misuse of visas, permits, and other documents provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, De Abreu was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for June 5, 2024. The indictment highlights the alarming ease with which individuals with a history of violent crimes can exploit the U.S. immigration system.

The indictment charges De Abreu with two counts of visa fraud, two counts of perjury, and one count of falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact. The case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of thorough background checks and the need for stricter immigration policies to prevent individuals with a history of violent crimes from entering the United States.