A Brazilian national living in Malden, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for perjury related to his asylum application and testimony at an immigration hearing. Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper and faces deportation after serving his sentence.
De Abreu pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury in February 2025 following a federal grand jury indictment in May 2024. The charges stem from his failure to disclose his arrest in Brazil on charges related to the murders of 11 people, mostly teenagers, during an incident known as “The Slaughter of Curió.”
In April 2014, De Abreu joined the Ceara State Military Police in Brazil. On November 12, 2015, he participated with other officers in a mass killing event targeting young people from impoverished neighborhoods in Ceará’s capital. The killings were reportedly retaliation for the death of a police officer defending his wife.
Brazilian authorities charged De Abreu along with others involved and arrested him on August 31, 2016. He was released pending trial on May 24, 2017. Shortly thereafter, De Abreu applied for a U.S. non-immigrant B2 visitor visa without disclosing his arrest record.
After obtaining the visa based on false representations, De Abreu traveled to Miami on May 30, 2018. Between then and August 14, 2023, he acquired various state driver’s licenses and other documents.
On January 29, 2020, De Abreu applied for asylum but failed to disclose his criminal history during the process. He was convicted of multiple charges including murder and torture by the First Court of Fortaleza on June 25, 2023.
During a U.S. Immigration Court hearing on February 9, 2024, De Abreu falsely testified about not lying to immigration officials regarding his past arrests.
The case announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley along with several law enforcement officials including Michael J. Krol from Homeland Security Investigations and Amy Connelly from the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan prosecuted the case with assistance from the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center.
