GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Federal authorities say a Serbian man accused of war crimes was arrested near Kalamazoo this week after allegedly lying to become a U.S. citizen.
Alexander Kneginich, 56, was arrested Monday by special agents with Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He allegedly lied to immigration authorities while trying to enter the country as a refugee and ultimately obtaining U.S. citizenship.
The indictment says Kneginich lied about his involvement during the Balkans Conflict in the early 1990s, It says he failed to disclose that he served in the Bosnian Serb military and that he had been charged, jailed, and tried in Bosnia for the murders of two Muslim civilians in 1994.
According to the indictment, Kneginich also lied about his wife’s citizenship, claiming she was an ethnic Croatian and that, because he’s a Serb, they experienced persecution in Bosnia due to their ethnically-mixed marriage.
If convicted, Kneginich could spend up to 10 years in federal prison. A conviction would also automatically revoke his citizenship and likely lead to his deportation and extradition to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Investigators say Kneiginich was living in Crown Point, Indiana, during his time in the U.S.
