Brazilian fugitive involved in massacre of 11 people lied on US asylum application: prosecutors

A former military police officer convicted in Brazil of multiple murders for his part in a 2015 massacre was indicted in Boston Wednesday for allegedly using a fraudulently obtained visa to enter the U.S. and then lying on his asylum application, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts announced.

Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 30, never disclosed to immigration authorities his involvement in the murders of 11 people, mostly teenagers, in Brazil in an incident known as "The Slaughter of Curió or the "Curio Massacre." The incident was named after the neighborhood in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza where they occurred.

According to prosecutors, De Abreu was convicted in 2023 by a criminal court in Brazil, along with three other military police officers, of 11 murder charges, charges of attempted murder and physical and mental torture. 

Many others were seriously injured and tortured, and De Abreu was sentenced to nearly 276 years in prison for the crimes. The massacre took place in retaliation for the death of a police officer shot and killed attempting to defend his wife, who was being assaulted.

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De Abreu was arrested and detained by Brazilian police in 2016 but was subsequently released pending trial in 2017.

He then fled Brazil for Miami after applying for and securing a B2 visa. Prosecutors say De Abreu wrote "no" on his visa application when asked if he had ever been arrested or convicted of a crime. 

In the years that followed, De Abreu obtained various state driver’s licenses, a Social Security card, travel documents and authorizations for employment. 

In January 2020, De Abreu applied for asylum and denied ever being arrested in any country other than the U.S. He also never disclosed the crimes when applying for lawful permanent resident status. 

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De Abreu was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Rye, New Hampshire, a small coastal town, in August after he became the subject of an active Interpol Red Notice issued by the international criminal police organization following his conviction in Brazil. An Interpol Red Notice serves as an international wanted notice and provides information on the identification of fugitives charged with or convicted of serious crimes who have fled prosecution or the serving of their sentence. 

The Boston Herald reports that De Abreu was living in the U.S. with his family when he was busted.

Then, at an immigration hearing in February, De Abreu allegedly denied he had ever lied to immigration officials and said that the only reason he had left off important information on immigration documents was because he had not yet been arrested.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts indicted De Abreu on two counts of visa fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact. 

He faces up to 20 years in prison, up to 11 years supervised release and up to $750,000 in fines. 

He was ordered detained pending a hearing June 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.