Rwandan national convicted of resisting deportation orders

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a federal jury found a Rwandan national guilty of refusing to leave the country after being ordered to depart.

Innocent Safari Nzambereka, 37, of Rwanda, was found guilty of two counts of failure to depart for resisting removal after final deportation orders.  United States District Judge Dee D. Drell presided over the trial. The defendant’s trial started Thursday and ended today with the jury returning the guilty verdict after deliberating for approximately 45 minutes.  Evidence admitted at trial revealed that on March 12, 2013 and April 11, 2013, Nzambereka refused to sign visa applications necessary for him to be sent back to the Republic of Rwanda where he had been ordered to return.

Nzambereka faces four years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count.  Sentencing has been set for February 29, 2016.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard C. Parker and Dominic A. Rossetti are prosecuting the case.