Minnesota and New York Men Convicted for Providing Material Support to Separatist Fighters in Cameroon

KANSAS CITY – A federal trial jury convicted two individuals for their roles in a conspiracy to provide material support or resources to kill, kidnap, and maim persons and use weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in a foreign country. The defendants conspired to provide funds and equipment to separatist fighters in Cameroon to allow them to construct and use IEDs against various targets in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

Francis Chenyi, Sr., 52, of Saint Paul, Mn., and Lah Nestor Langmi, 49, of Buffalo, Ny., both of whom are U.S. citizens of Cameroonian origin, were found guilty on Monday, Dec. 8, on multiple counts. Chenyi and Langmi were both found guilty of one count of a conspiracy to provide material support or resources intended it be used to carry out conspiracies to kill, kidnap, and maim persons in a foreign country and to use a WMD outside the United States. Chenyi and Langmi were also found guilty of one count of being involved in an international money laundering conspiracy that transferred funds from the United States to Cameroon to promote conspiracies to kill, kidnap, and maim and use WMDs abroad.

Additionally, Chenyi was found guilty of one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to use a WMD abroad.

“As the verdict indicates whether you’re committing a crime locally or – as in this case – supporting illegal conduct half a world away – when you conspire to violate federal law, we will hold you accountable.” said United States Attorney R. Matthew Price.

“The guilty verdict brings to close a conspiracy by a group of U.S. Citizens of Cameroonian origin to support a plot that, among other acts, included kidnapping Cameroonian civilians and holding them for ransom. Their actions also included providing equipment, supplies, and weapons to a separatist movement for the purpose of carrying out attacks against the government of Cameroon and its personnel,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Cyrus, Kansas City Field Division. “We are grateful for the verdict, and it should send a strong message to anyone in the United States looking to provide support to these types of acts across the world.”

A third defendant, Claude Ngenevu Chi, 43, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to use a WMD abroad on Nov. 19, 2025.

The evidence presented at trial showed that on around Nov. 5, 2020, Langmi sent an audio message to separatist fighters requesting they kidnap a traditional leader in Cameroon. Langmi said he had been tracking the traditional leader’s movements prior to the kidnapping. Following a battle with Cameroonian forces, separatists took the traditional leader along with the Catholic Cardinal Christian Tumi, who was traveling with the traditional leader, from their vehicles.

Following the kidnapping, Chenyi, provided the interrogation questions to be asked of the traditional leader and the Cardinal and approved the transferring of funds through peer-to-peer transactions to the separatists fighters in Cameroon to further the kidnapping.

Chenyi was involved in ransom payments paid by individuals outside of Cameroon for the release of family members taken in Cameroon and communicated with Langmi about these payments.

Multiple instances occurred in which co-conspirators, including Langmi, requested funds to purchase IEDs or components of IEDs for construction and use in Cameroon that were approved and funded by Chenyi. Chenyi also coordinated with individuals in Cameroon to ensure separatist fighters he supported obtained training on IED use. The defendants corresponded with co-conspirators in Cameroon to coordinate development, payment for, and logistical support toward IED use upon targets in Cameroon.

Specifically, around Dec. 3, 2020, Chenyi was requested to provide funds for construction of multiple IEDs to be used in connection with efforts to enforce a lockdown of an area before an upcoming election. Chenyi, along with Chi, agreed to provide funds for the IEDs’ construction and Chenyi coordinated the transfer of funds from the United States through peer-to-peer transactions to the separatist fighters in Cameroon.

Langmi coordinated with, and provided funds to, an unindicted co-conspirator to develop IEDs and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) in Cameroon and kept Chenyi apprised of the IED and RPG development.  Langmi also attempted to coordinate attacks near the 2021 African Cup of Nations soccer tournament hosted in Cameroon, as well as various cities throughout the Northwest Region throughout the spring of 2022.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about two hours and 24 minutes before returning guilty verdicts yesterday to U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.

Under federal statutes, Chenyi and Langmi each are subject to a sentence of up to 15 years for conspiracy to provide material support or resources and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Chi also is subject to a penalty of up to 15 years for providing material support or resources. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean T. Foley and Joseph M. Marquez for the Western District of Missouri, with the assistance of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The case was investigated by the FBI Kansas City Field Division.