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Brazilian Man Indicted for Visa Fraud, Murder Cover-Up
BOSTON – In a shocking case of visa fraud and perjury, a Brazilian man was indicted for using and possessing a fraudulently obtained visa to enter the United States, and lying on his asylum application. Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 30, of Malden, was indicted on two counts of visa fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact.
According to the indictment, in April 2014, De Abreu joined the Ceara State Military Police, where he participated in a mass killing event on November 12, 2015, in the Brazilian state of Ceará. The incident, known as The Slaughter of Curió or The Curió Massacre, resulted in the murder of 11 people, mostly teenagers, and left many others seriously injured and tortured. De Abreu was one of 45 individuals charged by the Brazilian authorities, and was arrested and detained in 2016. He was released pending trial in 2017.
Two weeks after his release, De Abreu applied for a United States non-immigrant B2 visitor visa in Recife, Brazil. When asked whether he had ever been arrested or convicted of any offense or crime, De Abreu responded “no.” The United States Department of State approved De Abreu’s Visa Application and issued him the B2 Visa on June 21, 2017. De Abreu used the B2 Visa to travel to Miami on May 30, 2018, and obtained various state driver’s licenses, a social security card, travel documents and authorizations for employment.
On January 29, 2020, De Abreu applied for asylum, but allegedly lied when asked whether he had ever been accused, charged, arrested, detained, interrogated and imprisoned in any country other than the United States. He also failed to disclose his arrest and detention in Brazil when he applied for adjustment of status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
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 and an arrest warrant was issued.
On February 9, 2024, De Abreu testified under oath at an immigration hearing conducted by the Immigration Court, falsely claiming that he had never lied to immigration officials. De Abreu’s case has sparked outrage and calls for greater accountability in the visa application process.
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. De Abreu’s initial appearance in federal court in Boston resulted in his detention pending a hearing scheduled for June 5, 2024.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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