Jugoslav Vidic, 56, of Parma Heights, Ohio, has been sentenced to three years in prison for illegally obtaining a green card. Vidic concealed his past conviction for war crimes in Croatia when he applied for U.S. residency.
Court documents reveal that Vidic falsely claimed he had never been charged with breaking any law, despite being convicted in absentia for his role in the 1991 attack on Petrinja, Croatia. During this attack, Vidic participated in the mutilation and death of a civilian, Stjepan Komes.
Vidic also lied about his military service, omitting his time with the Serb Army of Krajina during the Yugoslav civil war. These false statements allowed him to gain refugee status in 1999 and ultimately obtain a green card in 2005.
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“Jugoslav Vidic lied about war crimes charged against him in an attempt to escape his past and live in the United States unlawfully,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the dedication of prosecutors, law enforcement, and our international partners, Vidic will serve prison time in the United States followed by his removal. His sentence demonstrates that human rights violators will not be allowed to hide from their crimes in the United States.”
“Our communities here in Ohio and across the United States are not safe havens for war criminals to escape accountability in their home countries,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “It is my hope that this sentencing provides some measure of solace to the victims’ families with the knowledge that despite the passage of time, the United States will seek justice.”
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Vidic pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an alien registration receipt card knowing it had been procured through materially false statements. As part of the plea agreement, Vidic agreed to the entry of a judicial order of removal from the United States.
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