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Connecticut Woman Sentenced to 30 Months for Lying About Bosnia War Crimes in U.S. Citizenship Application
A 53-year-old woman from West Virginia, originally from Connecticut, received a 30-month federal prison sentence for obtaining U.S. citizenship through false statements about her involvement in abuses during the 1990s Bosnian conflict. She pleaded guilty in November 2025 to procuring citizenship contrary to law. The case involved cooperation between U.S. and Bosnian authorities.
Apr 13, 3:26 PM·3m read1 source
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U.S. citizenship by concealing her past criminal conduct related to abuses in the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s, according to the Justice Department. The sentencing occurred on April 13, 2026. The case highlights efforts to hold individuals accountable for human rights violations through immigration processes.
Nada Radovan Tomanić, 53, pleaded guilty on November 10, 2025, to one count of procuring citizenship contrary to law. Prosecutors stated that she served with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the armed conflict. Alongside other unit members, she participated in the severe physical and psychological abuse of Bosnian Serb civilian prisoners, including torture and inhuman treatment that amounted to a war crime.
During her naturalization process in 2012, Tomanić falsely denied having served in a detention facility or in any situation involving the detention of others, according to court documents. She also falsely denied committing a crime for which she had not been arrested, specifically the crime of inflicting serious bodily harm under the Criminal Law of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia.
These deceptions occurred despite her legal obligation to provide truthful information.
Citizenship and Immigration Services officer. Placed under oath, she again lied about her service in a detention facility and her past criminal conduct. This violated the requirements for lawful naturalization, which demand full disclosure of relevant history.
U.S. and become a citizen," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "Human rights violators are not welcome in the United States. officials for the District of Connecticut praised the work of law enforcement partners in the United States and Bosnia.
