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Bosnian civil war veteran pleads guilty to making false statements

PORTLAND, Ore. - A veteran of the Bosnian civil war living in Beaverton, Ore., has admitted making a false statement to U.S. immigration officials when he immigrated to the United States in 1998.

Milenko Krstic, 53, entered his plea in U.S. District Court here Wednesday to charges stemming from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations.

Krstic served in the armed forces of the Bosnian Serb Army from August 1992 until April 1996, a time period encompassing most of the Bosnian conflict. In his plea, Krstic acknowledged that he falsely told U. S. immigration authorities that he had spent the war in Serbia. He admitted he actually spent the war and subsequent years in Bosnia, and was concerned that if he acknowledged that fact, his entry into the United States would be jeopardized.

Krstic will be sentenced later this summer. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

For more information, visit www.ice.gov.