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Guatemalan Massacre Suspect Cuxum Alvarado Charged with Reentry
BOSTON – Francisco Cuxum Alvarado, 64, a Guatemalan national wanted for his alleged role in the brutal 1980s massacres of indigenous Maya Achi people, was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with one count of illegal reentry into the United States. Alvarado, also known as Francisco Cuxun-Alvarado, was detained following his arraignment.
The case, as outlined by U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, isn’t about a desperate immigrant seeking opportunity; it’s about a man fleeing a horrific past. “Mr. Cuxum Alvarado is in Massachusetts illegally, evading accountability for human rights violations in Guatemala,” Lelling stated. “He came here illegally, to escape a dark, criminal past.” The indictment underscores the commitment of federal agencies to identify and remove individuals with blood on their hands who attempt to find sanctuary within U.S. borders.
Court documents detail a series of savage attacks beginning in the early 1980s against the Maya Achi people of Rio Negro, near Rabinal, Guatemala. Guatemalan armed forces, aided by the notorious Civil Defense Patrols (PACs), systematically removed the Maya Achi from their homes and unleashed a campaign of terror. Over 400 Maya Achi were murdered, and hundreds more were forcibly displaced. The violence wasn’t limited to killings; widespread mass sexual assaults were perpetrated against Achi-Mayan women.
Alvarado is specifically accused of being a member of the PAC in Rabinal and named as a suspect in the March 13, 1982, massacre at Cerro Pacoxom, targeting women and children. In 2018, the Guatemalan government leveled charges of crimes against humanity against Alvarado for his alleged participation in the mass sexual assault of Maya Achi women. An INTERPOL Red Notice was issued, requesting his arrest worldwide for potential extradition. If convicted in the U.S., Alvarado will be subject to extradition to Guatemala to face those charges.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh celebrated the charges. “We congratulate the U.S. Attorney for pursuing justice in this case,” Fitzhugh said. “Homeland Security Investigations looks forward to the disturbing and egregious allegations against this individual being openly and fairly adjudicated in federal court.” Alvarado was initially located in Waltham and arrested on April 30, 2019. He admitted to HSI agents his membership in the Rabinal PAC. He had previously illegally entered the U.S. in March 2004 in Arizona and received a removal order.
Alvarado faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 if convicted. Upon completion of any sentence, he will be deported. The case, developed by ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center and investigated by HSI Boston’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Investigative Group, also received assistance from the Waltham Police Department and the HSI Attaché in Guatemala City. Assistant U.S. Attorney George P. Varghese of Lelling’s National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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