Tomanić served in the 1990s with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was involved in the abuse of Bosnian Serb civilian prisoners.
A woman who allegedly took part in the torture of prisoners during the Bosnian War has been sentenced to prison after lying to gain US citizenship.
Nada Radovan Tomanić, 53, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and most recently living in West Virginia, was sentenced to 30 months behind bars after admitting she falsified information during the naturalization process.
According to federal prosecutors, Tomanić served in the 1990s with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During that time, she and others in the unit were involved in the abuse of Bosnian Serb civilian prisoners. Authorities say the abuse included severe physical and psychological mistreatment, rising to the level of torture.
Despite that history, Tomanić denied any involvement in detention operations when she applied for US citizenship in 2012. She also claimed she had not committed any crimes for which she had not been arrested, statements prosecutors say were false.
Those lies didn’t stop at the paperwork, prosecutors said. During an in-person interview with US immigration officials, Tomanić was placed under oath and again denied any role in detaining prisoners or engaging in criminal conduct.
Federal officials say the case highlights ongoing efforts to track down individuals who may have committed human rights abuses abroad before entering the United States. “The defendant tortured and abused prisoners in Bosnia and then lied to US immigration authorities to live in the US and become a citizen,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “Human rights violators are not welcome in the United States.”
US Attorney David X. Sullivan said investigators pursued the case despite the passage of decades. “There is no statute of limitations for human decency,” he said.
The FBI, which led the investigation, said the case goes beyond immigration fraud. Special Agent in Charge PJ O’Brien said investigators uncovered a pattern of violence targeting individuals based on ethnicity and religion, adding that officials hope the sentencing provides some measure of justice for victims.
Tomanić pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2025, to unlawfully obtaining US citizenship.
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