Congolese National with Rape Conviction from the UK Pleads Guilty to Asylum Fraud Offense

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PATRICK NDAYA KATAMBWA, also known as KASEBA KATAMBWA, 50, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of making a false statement in an immigration document.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Katambwa was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (“DRC”).  Between approximately 1996 and November 2017, Katambwa resided in the United Kingdom under the assumed identity of Kaseba Katambwa.  While in the U.K. using his assumed identity, Katambwa was arrested, prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated for rape, entering into an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition or use of criminal property, and dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit.

In April 2018, Katambwa stated in a U.S. asylum application that his name was “Patrick Ndaya Katambwa,” “Katambwa Patrick Ndaya,” and “Patrick Katambwa Ndaya”; that he had resided in the DRC from February 1969 to January 2018; and that he had been arrested, convicted and sentenced, or imprisoned solely in the DRC, and not in any country other than the U.S.

Katambwa, who most recently resided in Bridgeport, has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on February 1, 2019. 

Katambwa is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on September 18, 2019, at which he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.

U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance in this matter.