Ex-CT resident allegedly lied about prisoner abuse in Bosnian War. Her U.S. citizenship is at stake

A former Hartford resident indicted this week faces the possibility of two decades in prison for allegedly lying during the U.S. citizenship process to cover up her participation in the abuse of prisoners during the Bosnian War before she came to America as a refugee.

Nada Radovan Tomanic, 51, was arrested Thursday in Morgantown, West Virginia, on federal charges accusing her of lying to obtain U.S. citizenship, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Federal officials said Tomanic formerly resided in Hartford and most recently was a resident of West Virginia. She allegedly served with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, according to officials. The indictment indicates federal authorities believe she served sometime between 1993 and 1996, during which time she and other soldiers allegedly “participated in the physical and mental abuse of Bosnian Serb prisoners targeted based on their ethnicity, religion, and membership in a particular social group.”

Members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993, “took civilian Bosnian Serb prisoners to
Mount Igman to perform forced labor, such as digging trenches, foxholes, dugouts, roads, and
shelters,” the indictment says. ” Zulfikar Special Unit soldiers committed abuses against the Bosnian Serb prisoners on Mount Igman, including physical beatings and other abuses. Zulfikar Special Unit soldiers also subjected the Bosnian Serb prisoners to threats, verbal abuse, and intimidation.”

Tomanic is believed to have served as an armed guard on Mount Igman, where she allegedly used her boots, fists, baton, rifle and a piece of wood to beat prisoners, the indictment states. Tomanic and other Zulfikar Special Unit soldiers also allegedly subjected the Bosnian Serb victims to “humiliating and degrading verbal abuse and insults,” according to the indictment.

Federal court documents indicate Tomanic in September 1997 successfully applied to come to the U.S. as a refugee and entered the country the following month. In May 2000, she applied for permanent residence and was approved, court documents indicate.

Then in January 2012, Tomanic applied to become a naturalized citizen, which was granted in June of that year. The indictment alleges she lied during the naturalization process when asked if she had ever “persecuted (either directly or indirectly) any person because of religion, membership in a particular social group or political opinion” or “committed a crime for which she was not arrested.”

“It is alleged that this defendant shielded her past abuse of human rights and repeatedly lied during the immigration and citizenship processes to gain entry into this country and become a U.S. citizen,” Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said in a statement Friday. “I thank our investigative partners both here and in Bosnia and Herzegovina for ignoring the passage of time to ensure that justice is done.”

“Nada Tomanic has enjoyed the privileges of U.S. citizenship for more than 10 years — privileges she allegedly obtained by lying to cover up human rights abuses she committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. “The Justice Department will vigorously enforce our nation’s immigration laws to ensure that the United States does not serve as a safe haven for persecutors.”

Tomanic is charged with two counts of unlawful procurement of naturalization. She could face 10 years in prison on each count if convicted, according to federal officials. A conviction would also result in the automatic revocation of her U.S. citizenship, officials said.