Former Connecticut Woman Sentenced for Lying About War Crimes to Gain Citizenship

Nada Tomanic admitted to abusing prisoners during Bosnian war but denied involvement in beating death

Apr. 8, 2026 at 9:26pm

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A former Connecticut resident was sentenced to 30 months in prison for lying to immigration authorities about her role in abusing prisoners during the Bosnian war in order to obtain U.S. citizenship. Nada Tomanic, who worked in a grocery warehouse in Hartford for nearly a decade, was part of the notorious Zulfikar Special Unit that guarded prisoners at Mount Igman in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where former prisoners allege she physically and psychologically abused detainees.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing challenges the U.S. faces in identifying and prosecuting individuals who have committed human rights abuses in other countries but then seek to conceal that history in order to gain American citizenship. It also raises questions about how the U.S. should weigh its own record of alleged war crimes and rights abuses when judging the actions of others.

The details

Prosecutors say Tomanic was part of a group of guards who beat to death a prisoner named Jadranko Glavas, and that she also slapped, kicked, and verbally abused other detainees. She pleaded guilty to immigration fraud for lying about her background, but denied involvement in Glavas' death. Her defense lawyer argued that at the time, Tomanic was a young woman caught up in an exceptionally brutal war and that her actions were encouraged or ordered by superiors.

  • Tomanic admitted lying to obtain citizenship in 2012.
  • She was sentenced on April 8, 2026.

The players

Nada Tomanic

A former Connecticut resident who worked in a grocery warehouse in Hartford for nearly a decade after obtaining U.S. citizenship, which she admitted to gaining by lying about her role in abusing prisoners during the Bosnian war.

Jadranko Glavas

A prisoner at the Mount Igman detention facility in Bosnia and Herzegovina who was allegedly beaten to death by a group of guards that included Tomanic.

J. Patten Brown, III

Tomanic's defense lawyer, who argued that she was a young woman caught up in an exceptionally brutal war and that her actions were encouraged or ordered by superiors.

Kari A. Dooley

The U.S. District Judge who sentenced Tomanic to 30 months in prison.

Pete Hegseth

The U.S. Defense Secretary who promised 'no quarter, no mercy for our enemies' during recent attacks on Iran, which Tomanic's lawyer cited as an example of the U.S. government's own alleged war crimes and rights abuses.

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What’s next

Tomanic's citizenship has already been revoked, and regardless of her sentence, she faces removal to her native country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing challenges the U.S. faces in identifying and prosecuting individuals who have committed human rights abuses in other countries but then seek to conceal that history in order to gain American citizenship. It also raises questions about how the U.S. should weigh its own record of alleged war crimes and rights abuses when judging the actions of others.