Laye Sekou Camara, widely known as “K1” or “Dragon Master,” a former commander of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel faction, has been sentenced to 57 months in a U.S. federal prison for immigration fraud. He was immediately taken into custody on Thursday after sentencing.
The case centered on Camara’s failure to disclose his wartime activities when applying for a U.S. visa and later a green card in 2011. Prosecutors argued he concealed his membership in LURD and his involvement in recruiting child soldiers during Liberia’s second civil war. Judge Chad F. Kenney ruled that Camara knowingly lied on his immigration documents, though he stopped short of imposing the maximum 40-year sentence prosecutors had sought.
“This court is not an international tribunal or a Liberian court,” Judge Kenney explained, stressing that while Camara’s wartime conduct could be considered, U.S. law does not allow direct prosecution for atrocities committed abroad.
The sentencing reflects a different outcome from earlier cases involving Liberian commanders in the U.S. In 2018, former ULIMO commander Mohammed Jabbateh, also convicted of immigration fraud, received 30 years in prison. Unlike Europe, where several Liberian ex-fighters have faced trial for crimes against humanity, U.S. courts have largely relied on immigration fraud charges to address allegations of war crimes.
During Thursday’s proceedings, prosecutors listed a string of human rights abuses linked to Camara, ranging from extrajudicial killings to child soldier recruitment between 1999 and 2003. Camara sat quietly for much of the hearing, occasionally staring blankly. When given the chance to speak, he became emotional, recalling how his father was beheaded during the first Liberian civil war. Despite having signed a confession in January, he denied personal responsibility, saying, “I never committed any crime in Liberia. I only help people.”
Seventeen witnesses, many traveling from Liberia to Philadelphia, testified against Camara earlier this year. Some claimed he had tried to intimidate them into silence. Victims and advocates expressed disappointment at the relatively light sentence. Alain Werner, director of the Swiss-based group Civitas Maxima, which helped build the case, called the ruling a victory for survivors but acknowledged it fell short of what many had hoped.
Camara’s supporters, however, welcomed the outcome. His cousin Mohamed Kamara said outside court, “We are happy with the 57 months, because that’s what God decided for him.” Defense attorney Richard J. Fuschino also portrayed the result as a success, noting, “To get under five years, when the alternative was 40, is positive news in a horrible situation.”
Camara has been under home detention since his 2022 arrest. Judge Kenney ordered that he serve at least 80 percent of the sentence. He will be deported to Liberia in 2029, where he could still face trial if a War and Economic Crimes Court—expected to begin proceedings in 2027 under President Joseph Boakai’s administration—becomes operational.
This case marks the third time Liberian combatants have been prosecuted in Pennsylvania’s Eastern District, home to a large Liberian diaspora. Jabbateh was convicted in 2017, and former Charles Taylor ally Thomas Woewiyu died from COVID-19 in 2021 before sentencing on similar charges.
For many, Camara’s sentence underscores the ongoing challenges of achieving justice for crimes committed during Liberia’s brutal civil wars.
Source: FrontPage Africa for New Narrative
