Alexander KneGINICH Arrested for Faking U.S. Citizenship

Alexander KneGINICH, 56, of Crown Point, Indiana, was arrested on December 19, 2016 near Kalamazoo, Michigan, accused of one of the most brazen betrayals of the nation’s immigration system: faking his way into U.S. citizenship after concealing a violent past tied to the Bosnian Conflict. Federal authorities say KneGINICH built his American life on a foundation of lies, including hiding his service in Bosnian Serb military units and charges for the 1994 murders of two Muslim civilians.

The indictment, returned December 15, 2016, by a grand jury in the Western District of Michigan, lays bare a calculated pattern of deception. KneGINICH allegedly claimed his wife was an ethnic Croatian and that their mixed-ethnic marriage forced them to flee Bosnia due to persecution. That story, prosecutors say, was a fabrication designed to win refugee status. In reality, he never disclosed his role in Serbian militia forces during the Balkans war — a detail that alone would have barred his entry.

Even more damning, the indictment charges that KneGINICH failed to reveal he had been formally charged, jailed, and tried in Bosnia for the murders of two Muslim non-combatants. Those allegations, rooted in one of the bloodiest chapters of the Yugoslav breakup, were scrubbed from every U.S. immigration form he filed — including his application for lawful permanent residency and, later, naturalization. He even swore under oath that he had never lied to immigration officials.

The case is being prosecuted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan and the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP). U.S. Attorney Pat Miles didn’t mince words: “For persons who immigrate into the United States, citizenship is the brass ring,” he said. “This Office will zealously pursue any case where that prized status appears to have been obtained through fraud and deceit.”

HSI Detroit’s acting Special Agent-in-Charge Steve Francis emphasized that immigration fraud cases involving alleged human rights abuses are top-tier priorities. “Cases where people lie about their past to cheat the nation’s immigration system are among HSI’s highest investigative priorities,” Francis said. “These cases take particular precedence when the individual’s past may include human-rights violations.”

If convicted, KneGINICH faces up to ten years in federal prison. A guilty verdict would automatically strip him of U.S. citizenship and likely result in deportation or extradition back to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The investigation was handled by Homeland Security Investigations, with prosecution led by HRSP Trial Attorney Jamie Perry and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen W. Frank. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided critical support. The charges remain accusations; KneGINICH is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.