A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court seeks to hold the ex-mayor of a small Haitian town accountable for his alleged crimes abroad.

The former mayor of a town in Haiti who is under indictment for murder has been living in Malden since 2009 and was a licensed bus driver in the area until last week, according to a federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.

Jean Morose Viliena allegedly killed, tortured, threatened, and committed arson against political opponents in Les Irois, a town of 22,000 people on Haiti's southwest coast. But he has avoided trial, the lawsuit states, and is a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

Meanwhile, Viliena has retained political sway in his hometown. In 2012, the president of Haiti appointed him "Interim Executive Agent" of Les Irois in lieu of holding mayoral elections, a position he held until 2015 as he traveled freely between the United States and Haiti.

That's despite charges that Viliena worked with a paramilitary gang to brutally kill the brother of a political opponent in 2007, to beat and maim two others in a raid on an opposition radio station in 2008, and to burn down 36 houses, leaving hundreds homeless, in 2009.

"This case arises from the brutal torture, killing, and persecution of political activists and human rights advocates in the Haitian town of Les Irois," the lawsuit states. "As the Mayor of Les Irois ... Viliena personally led an armed group aligned with his political party in a series of attacks on his critics and perceived political opponents in Les Irois."

'Crimes against humanity'

The civil lawsuit, filed last Wednesday in Boston, seeks undisclosed damages and injunctive relief for extrajudicial killing, torture, arson, and crimes against humanity. The suit is being led by two human rights organizations, the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability and the Boston-based Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, who say Viliena should be tried in the United States under the Torture Victim Protection Act because officials in Haiti have failed to prosecute him.

Viliena has not shown up for two trials in Haiti, one of which convicted his co-defendants in 2015, according to WBUR. The court ordered that he be tried in absentia, to no avail.

"Viliena and his associates have obstructed Plaintiffs' efforts to seek justice in Haiti by tampering with witnesses and engaging in a pattern of coercion and intimidation," the suit says. "In or around January 2009, after Haitian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into his misconduct in office, Viliena fled to the United States in an apparent effort to avoid prosecution."

There were originally three plaintiffs in the case filed in Boston: David Boniface, whose brother Eclesiaste was allegedly murdered by Viliena and his associates; Juders Yseme, who was allegedly shot in the eye during the radio station raid; and Nissage Martyr, who owned the house out of which the radio station operated and was allegedly shot in the leg during the raid and needed his leg to be amputated.

Now, there are only two plaintiffs after Martyr's mysterious death this past Friday, just days after the lawsuit was filed. Martyr was watching soccer with about 50 neighbors in Les Irois when he became suddenly ill and died on the way to the hospital, according to his attorney Scott Gilmore from the Center for Justice and Accountability. The cause of his death is unclear.

"We call on the government of Haiti to expeditiously and completely investigate to determine the cause of Martyr’s death," Gilmore said in a statement. "Martyr dreamed of a better future for Haiti, free from political violence, where all Haitians can express themselves without fear of retaliation."

Bus license suspended

Viliena could not be reached for comment Monday, but based on his online presence, he does not seem to be in hiding. A Facebook page under Viliena's name says he lives in Malden, is married, and attended Bunker Hill Community College. He also appears to have a presence on LinkedIn and MeetMe.

Gilmore told the Miami Herald that Viliena was notified of the lawsuit last Thursday on the campus of UMass-Boston. According to electronic court records, he must respond to the suit by April 13. There is no lawyer listed for Viliena in the case.

Prior to recent news reports about Viliena's past, he was working as a bus driver for the Somerville-based Eastern Bus Co. A representative for the company told Wicked Local Monday that Viliena's license was suspended last week by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

The representative, who declined to provide his name, said the company was unaware of the charges against Viliena until last week.

"He was driving for us, we brought him in, he was put on hold until we found out more about it," the representative said. "After being in contact with the DPU ... they suspended his license."

The WBUR story suggested Viliena may drive a school bus in Medford, but on Friday, Medford School Superintendent Roy Belson posted a note on his blog assuring parents that Viliena "does not and has not ever driven a Medford school bus."

"We appreciate the concerns of parents and the community, but everyone should be assured that the individual is not involved in any way with the Medford Public Schools," Belson wrote.

Malden Police Chief Kevin Molis said he only knows of Viliena through news reports. He said Malden Police have never been contacted by any agency about him.

"Within the context of what a municipal police agency [is responsbile for], there is no allegation that he has committed any crime within my jurisdiction," Molis said. "My actions and perspective is only governed by that."