Laye Sekou Camara, 47, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for using and possessing a green card obtained through false statements about his involvement in Liberia’s civil war. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney in Philadelphia.
Camara, known as “general K-1” and “general Dragon Master,” entered the United States in 2010 with an immigrant visa and later became a lawful permanent resident. Authorities say he falsely claimed on immigration forms that he had not participated in extrajudicial killings or acts of violence, nor been involved with paramilitary or rebel groups, or recruited child soldiers.
He was arrested in March 2022 and indicted two months later on three counts of using and one count of possessing a fraudulently obtained green card. He pleaded guilty to all charges in January 2025.
During a preliminary sentencing hearing earlier this year, nine Liberian witnesses testified about Camara’s actions as a commander within the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group. Witnesses described incidents including extrajudicial killings, attacks on civilians seeking food, and an order to attack central Monrovia that resulted in civilian deaths at the U.S. Embassy compound.
One witness recounted: “K-1 and his boys surrounded the town, . . . [and] . . . [t]hose who refused to be arrested, those who resisted, they were killed.” Another described Camara killing a pregnant woman and her son after she objected to LURD’s recruitment efforts. Other testimony detailed further violence against civilians under his command.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf stated: “The defendant was a notorious LURD commander, brutal even by the standards of the Second Liberian Civil War, and he lied about his past to build a new life in the United States. Today’s sentence holds him responsible for his immigration fraud and officially ends his efforts to avoid accountability for his horrific crimes.”
Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens added: “As a leader in Liberia’s civil war, Mr. Camara facilitated atrocities against civilians in his own country including the use of child soldiers. By concealing his crimes in Liberia, Camara was able to obtain immigration benefits and use those documents to seek employment and a new life here. HSI will not allow the United States to become a refuge for human rights violators or for individuals who secure lawful status through deception. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and international partners to identify fraud, protect the integrity of the immigration system, and support the prosecutors that hold these offenders accountable.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia led the investigation with assistance from Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General and U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia.
The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), established by HSI in 2009, supported this case as part of its mission to identify human rights abusers residing within U.S borders.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright, Kelly Harrell, Patrick Brown from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania along with Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour from DOJ Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about former human rights violators living in the United States to contact law enforcement via HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423), internationally at 001-1802-872-6199 or by email at HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov.
