United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

TWO PLEAD GUILTY TO CHILD SMUGGLING CHARGES

Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ABIBA KANZAYIRE, age 37, a native and citizen of Rwanda, and HUSSEIN MUTUNGIREHE, age 40, a citizen of Rwanda residing at 8 Hobart Street, Meriden, Connecticut, pleaded guilty today to various child smuggling and immigration charges. Senior United States District Judge Peter C. Dorsey accepted MUTUNGIREHE's and KANZAYIRE's pleas of guilty during separate proceedings this afternoon in New Haven federal court. On January 13, 2004, MUTUNGIREHE and KANZAYIRE were indicted today by a federal grand jury sitting in New Haven in a 13-count superceding indictment related to smuggling children into the United States.

According to documents filed with the Court, KANZAYIRE today admitted that she obtained from the United States consulate in Burundi visas for children that she represented were her own biological children, and then used those visas on several occasions in 2002 and 2003 to smuggle imposter children into the United States. KANZAYIRE pleaded guilty to Counts 2, 3, 4 and 8 of the Indictment. Counts 2, 3, and 4 charged her with illegally encouraging alien children to come to the United States. Count 8 charged her with illegally bringing an alien child into the United States.

As a condition of her guilty plea, KANZAYIRE has agreed to assist the Government in locating four children who she has admitted to bringing into the United States. She has also agreed to be deported to Rwanda at the completion of her sentence.

When she is sentenced by Judge Dorsey on November 29, 2004, KANZAYIRE faces a maximum sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000 on counts 2, 3 and 4, and a maximum sentence of one year and a fine of up to $100,000 on Count 8.

During his court proceeding, MUTUNGIREHE pleaded guilty to Counts 9, 12 and 13 of the Indictment. Count 9 charged him with illegally harboring and alien, and Counts 12 and 13 charged him with illegally transporting alien children. MUTUNGIREHE has admitted to harboring at his Meriden residence a female alien child who he knew to be illegally in the United States. He further has admitted to transporting two male children that he knew were illegally smuggled into the United States to the U.S. and Canadian border, and facilitated their entry into Canada.

As a condition of his guilty plea, MUTUNGIREHE has agreed to assist the Government in locating the three children he has admitted to harboring and transporting. As a result of his conviction, he may face deportation to Rwanda, as well.

When he is sentenced by Judge Dorsey on November 29, 2004, MUTUNGIREHE faces a maximum sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count of his conviction.

"The safety and welfare of children is of paramount importance to this Office," U.S. Attorney O'Connor stated. "Smuggling children is a dangerous endeavor where profit, rather than a child's well-being, is the common motive. We will diligently investigate and prosecute these crimes."

The case was investigated by Special Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security, Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Officers of the United States Customs and Border Protection, and assisted by the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Krishna R. Patel.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov