A former military police officer convicted of multiple murder charges in Brazil for his role in a 2015 mass killing was indicted in Boston on charges Wednesday of using a fraudulently obtained visa to enter the United States and then making false statements in his asylum application, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced.
Suspect Antonio José de Abreu Vidal Filho, 30, never revealed to immigration authorities that he was involved in the murder of 11 people, mostly teenagers, in what is known in Brazil as the “Crio Massacre,” or “Crio Massacre,” named after the neighborhood in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza where it happened.
De Abreu was convicted by a Brazilian criminal court in 2023 along with three other military police officers on 11 counts of murder, attempted murder and physical and mental torture, according to prosecutors.
Many others were seriously injured and tortured, and de Abreu was sentenced to 276 years in prison for these crimes. The massacre took place in retaliation for the death of a police officer who had been shot while trying to defend his wife from assault.
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Antonio José de Abreu Vidal Filho was arrested. (Associated Press)
De Abreu was arrested and detained by Brazilian police in 2016, but was later released in 2017 while awaiting trial.
De Abreu then applied for and received a B2 visa and fled Brazil to Miami, where he wrote “no” on his visa application when asked if he had ever been arrested or convicted of a crime, according to prosecutors.
Over the next few years, de Abreu obtained driver’s licenses, social security cards, travel documents and work permits from various states.
In January 2020, de Abreu applied for asylum and denied having ever been arrested anywhere other than the U.S. He also did not disclose any criminal history when applying for lawful permanent residence.
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De Abreu was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Rye, New Hampshire, last year. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
De Abreu was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization following his conviction in Brazil and was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August in the small coastal town of Rye, New Hampshire. Interpol Red Notices act as international wanted notices and provide information on the identities of fugitives who have been charged or convicted of serious crimes and have evaded prosecution or sentence.
The Boston Herald reports that de Abreu was living in the United States with his family at the time of his arrest.
Later, at an immigration hearing in February, de Abreu reportedly denied ever lying to immigration authorities and said the only reason he left out key information on his immigration papers was because he had not yet been arrested.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts charged de Abreu with two counts of visa fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of falsifying, concealing or concealing a material fact.
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De Abreu initially fled Brazil for Miami, but was later arrested in New Hampshire. (Giorgio Biera/AFP via Getty Images)
He faces up to 20 years in prison, up to 11 years probation and a fine of up to $750,000.
He was ordered held in custody until a hearing on June 5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
