After years of living freely in the U.S., former Haitian mayor faces justice for lies that concealed a brutal history of political violence.
Jean Morose Viliena gets nine years in U.S. federal prison after lying about his role in violent political repression in Haiti
BOSTON, MA — June 2025 | Jean Morose Viliena, the former mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, was sentenced in a Boston federal court to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release for immigration fraud tied to a violent past. Upon completing his sentence, Viliena, 53, will face deportation proceedings, concluding a long-delayed reckoning for crimes committed during his tenure in public office.
The conviction stems from a dark chapter in Haitian political history—one that reached into the heart of the United States immigration system.
A Reign Marked by Brutality
Federal prosecutors revealed that between 2006 and 2010, while serving as mayor of Les Irois, Viliena personally committed or orchestrated multiple acts of political violence. In one chilling 2007 incident, he allegedly led an armed group to a rival’s home, where the opponent’s younger brother was fatally shot, and the political opponent himself was beaten with a rock.
A year later, Viliena reportedly spearheaded an attack on a community radio station where two individuals suffered life-altering injuries—one lost a leg, and another was left blind in one eye.
Despite these atrocities, Viliena entered the United States in 2008, securing a green card and permanent resident status by falsely attesting that he had never been involved in extrajudicial or political killings. Prosecutors emphasized that this lie formed the basis of his conviction on three counts of visa fraud, for which a federal jury found him guilty in March 2025.
A Comfortable Life While Victims Suffered
For more than a decade, Viliena lived freely in Malden, Massachusetts, raising a U.S.-born child and maintaining employment. During that time, his victims—many of whom were driven into exile, silence, or permanent disability—lived with the consequences of his past violence.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley stated,
“For more than a decade, he lived freely and comfortably in this country while the victims of his brutality lived in fear, exile, and pain. Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice… and sends a clear message: the United States will not be a safe haven for human rights abusers.”
Civil and Criminal Accountability
Viliena’s legal troubles have extended beyond the criminal court. In 2023, a U.S. jury found him civilly liable under the Torture Victim Protection Act, awarding $15.5 million in damages to three Haitian victims tied to the violence during his mayoral tenure.
Prosecutors had pushed for the maximum 10-year sentence, describing the case as “the most egregious type of immigration fraud,” given the violent legacy concealed behind his official U.S. immigration forms.
A Warning to Human Rights Violators
The case is being hailed as a landmark in holding foreign human rights abusers accountable—even years after their crimes and thousands of miles from their origins. It sends a strong signal to others who may have entered the U.S. under false pretenses that accountability is still possible, no matter how much time has passed.
With Viliena now facing deportation following his prison term, his case serves as a powerful reminder of the kind of leadership Haiti must reject—violent, deceptive, and self-serving. If the nation is to heal and rebuild, it cannot afford to recycle figures whose power was built on fear and bloodshed.
The Haitian Pulse is a truth-driven media platform dedicated to amplifying voices, exposing injustice, and connecting global events to the lived experiences of Haitian communities. We don’t chase headlines—we contextualize them. From political accountability to community resilience, our mission is to inform, empower, and spark critical reflection among Haitians at home and across the diaspora.
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