Idaho man accused of hiding violent Bosnia past while seeking U.S. citizenship
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BOISE — A Boise man who allegedly beat and abused prisoners while serving as a high-ranking official in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been indicted on federal charges after prosecutors say he concealed his past while trying to become a U.S. citizen.
A federal grand jury in Idaho indicted Miran Kostic, 66, a national of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on charges of attempted naturalization fraud and making material false statements to federal law enforcement agents.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Kostic was a high-level official in the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, known as the APZB, during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Federal prosecutors allege Kostic personally abused prisoners, including pistol-whipping them and beating them with wooden clubs, stakes and his fists. He is also accused of kicking prisoners until they lost consciousness, forcing prisoners to beat one another and ordering other APZB members to assault prisoners.
Kostic later came to the United States and lived here for decades, according to federal officials.
Prosecutors allege that when Kostic applied to become a U.S. citizen, he repeatedly lied about his past. The government says Kostic concealed the abuse he allegedly committed or ordered and failed to disclose that he had been charged with war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Authorities say Kostic also made false statements during interviews with the FBI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“Miran Kostic benefited from U.S. residency for decades and ultimately attempted to become a naturalized citizen, all while concealing the human rights abuses he committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said. “Individuals who commit atrocities abroad and lie to immigration authorities to seek safe haven in the United States will be investigated and prosecuted.”
Kostic faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each attempted naturalization fraud charge and up to five years for the false statements charge if convicted.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with assistance from several federal agencies and international partners, including the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth Nielsen of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Horwitz for the District of Idaho are prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains allegations, and Kostic is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.