The owner of a Massachusetts school bus company turned a bus driver away from his route after seeing a report on the local news of the driver’s alleged crimes committed as the former mayor of a town in Haiti, reports WBUR in Boston.
The bizarre case involves Jean Morose Viliena, 44, of Malden, Massachusetts. An attorney for three Haitian men filed suited against Viliena on March 23 in a Boston federal court under the Torture Victim Protection Act.
The next day WBUR reported that Viliena has an open indictment in Haiti since 2010 that accused him of committing murder, arson, and crimes against humanity. He never showed up for trial there, where six of his co-defendants were found guilty.
The bus company notified the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities after seeing the initial report, and Viliena’s school bus driver certificate was revoked almost immediately. WBUR said Viliena passed a criminal background check before being hired, but the process only confirmed he had no criminal record in the state.
Uber also reportedly terminated its contract with Viliena as a contractor for the company.
Viliena and his wife are lawful permanent residents with U.S. green cards. They have traveled back and forth from Haiti without previously being arrested there by local authorities, or raising suspicion among customs agents.
