Supreme Court Electiom

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of a former Akron woman deported for lying to immigration authorities about her husband's service in the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s.

(The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Supreme Court will hear the case of a former Akron woman deported last year after she and her husband were convicted of covering up their ties to war criminals in the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s to enter the U.S.

Divna Maslenjak was found guilty in 2014 of naturalization fraud and misuse of evidence of naturalization. U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson in Youngstown automatically revoked her citizenship, as required for a conviction of naturalization fraud.

Prosecutors say Divna Maslenjak lied to immigration authorities about her husband Ratko Maslenjak's role in the Bosnian conflict to enter the U.S. But Divna Maslenjak said the jury was not required to weigh the how important her statements were when she applied for U.S. citizenship in 2007, according to documents posted on SCOTUSblog.

Divna Maslenjak argues that the judge improperly stripped her of her citizenship following her convictions because the judge did so based on "immaterial" -- or less important -- statements. Courts have ruled in different ways across the country.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the petition on Jan. 13.

Authorities say Ratko Maslenjak was in the Bosnian Serb army and was the company commander for the Bratunac Brigade, which was connected to a 1995 massacre. During the attack, 8,300 Bosnian Muslims were executed and more than 30,000 women, children and elderly residents were driven from the city of Srebrenica.

The couple, natives of Bosnia-Herzegovina, arrived in Akron in 2000. Ratko Maslenjak was also convicted of lying to obtain permanent residency in the U.S.

They were deported to Serbia in October.

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