A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Thursday to using and possessing a green card that he unlawfully obtained by making false statements about his involvement in the civil war in the West African nation of Liberia.
According to court documents, Laye Sekou Camara, 46, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, was a general with a Liberian rebel group from approximately 1999 to 2003 and fought against the Liberian government that then-President Charles Taylor led.
Camara, also known as K-1 and Dragon Master, entered the United States pursuant to an immigrant visa and later obtained Lawful Permanent Resident status and a green card by falsely stating on immigration forms that he had never participated in extrajudicial killings or other acts of violence; had never been involved with a paramilitary unit, rebel group, or guerilla group; and had never engaged in the recruitment or use of child soldiers.
Camara pleaded guilty to three counts of using and one count of possessing a fraudulently obtained green card.
According to the indictment, Camara used the green card when he applied for a Pennsylvania identification card in 2017, applied for a New Jersey home health care aide license in 2020, and sought employment at a New Jersey-based home health care agency in 2020, and he was in possession of the green card when he was arrested in 2022 at JFK International Airport in New York before attempting to board an international flight.
Camara is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
