Rwandan Genocide Leader Found Living as a ‘Beekeeper’ in New York

Faustin Nsabumukunzi wasn’t just tending bees in the Hamptons — federal prosecutors say he was hiding one of the darkest secrets imaginable.

The 65-year-old former Rwandan official, convicted in absentia for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, spent more than two decades living quietly on Long Island after lying repeatedly on U.S. immigration forms, authorities charged this week.

“He treated bees better than he treated human beings,” one federal prosecutor said after Nsabumukunzi’s shocking arrest Tuesday in the wealthy enclave of Bridgehampton, New York.

Federal agents said Nsabumukunzi, who first arrived in the U.S. in 2004 under refugee status, buried his brutal past beneath a carefully crafted façade — one that included public interviews about his work as a beekeeper and deep connections with the local elite. One such supporter, a private equity investor from the Hamptons, even posted his $250,000 bond to keep him out of jail after his capture.

When agents moved in to arrest him, prosecutors say Nsabumukunzi offered a chilling confession:
“I know. I’m finished.”

In reality, prosecutors allege, Nsabumukunzi wasn’t a mere refugee fleeing violence. In Rwanda, he had served as a Sector Councilor — an official who not only ordered killings but took part in them.

During public meetings in 1994, Nsabumukunzi allegedly assured Tutsis they would be protected. Behind closed doors, he urged Hutus to hunt them down. He set up deadly roadblocks to trap fleeing Tutsis. He directed armed militias to slaughter civilians seeking shelter in government offices, according to federal court papers.

Witnesses testified he even personally clubbed a Tutsi to death during a mass killing on April 21, 1994. Afterward, he allegedly ordered bodies cleared away, calling them “trash” and “garbage.”

The Rwandan genocide, fueled by vicious ethnic hatred between Hutus and Tutsis, lasted 100 horrifying days. An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered — often by neighbors and former friends — while the world largely stood by.

In 2008, a community court in Rwanda convicted Nsabumukunzi in absentia and sentenced him to life in prison. A separate indictment came in 2014, and an Interpol “Red Notice” was issued in 2016. But by then, Nsabumukunzi was living comfortably in the U.S., having built a new life far from his bloody past.

In 2016, when he applied for U.S. citizenship, a background check flagged him. Investigators dug deeper — uncovering his convictions, his fugitive status, and his travel history to countries like Madagascar, Cote D’Ivoire, France, and Togo.

“Given the penalties he is facing, his status as a fugitive for decades, and his repeated lies, there are no conditions that guarantee he would appear at trial,” federal prosecutors argued in court filings.

Still, Judge Joanna Seybert allowed him to remain free on bond — with a GPS ankle monitor — and to continue working as a gardener for his wealthy backer.

The charges Nsabumukunzi now faces in the U.S. — including visa fraud and unlawful procurement of naturalization — carry a potential 30-year prison sentence. If convicted, he would also likely face deportation.

“Faustin Nsabumukunzi lived in America for twenty years with a clean slate he never earned,” said Eastern District U.S. Attorney John Durham. “Meanwhile, the victims of his crimes never got a second chance.”

Nsabumukunzi’s defense attorney, Evan Sugar, painted a drastically different picture.
“Mr. Nsabumukunzi is a law-abiding beekeeper and gardener who lost family members and friends in the genocide,” Sugar said. “He rightfully earned his refugee status. We intend to fight these outdated and politically motivated allegations.”

But prosecutors say the case isn’t about paperwork mistakes — it’s about accountability.

“This is about justice — even if it’s decades late,” one official said.

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