Three Americans repatriated from Congo have been charged in the United States with participating in a failed coup attempt to overthrow the Congolese government, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
The men, Marcel Malanga, 22; Tyler Thompson Jr., 22; and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37 were transferred into U.S. custody Tuesday after being detained and sentenced to death in Congo. Their sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment before the trio was returned to the U.S. to face federal charges.
A fourth man, Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, was also charged. Prosecutors allege he provided weapons and explosives training at his home in Utah and served as an explosives expert for the plot.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday, the men conspired to supply weapons, explosives and support to a rebel army attempting to seize control of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and install a new government, dubbed “New Zaire,” with Congolese-American opposition figure Christian Malanga as its president.
Christian Malanga, who was born in Kinshasa and later resettled in the U.S. as a refugee, was the alleged mastermind behind the operation. He was killed during the attempted coup at the presidential palace in Kinshasa last year, according to Congolese officials. His son, Marcel Malanga, was described in court documents as the “Chief of Staff of the Zaire army” and a leader of the armed effort.
The Justice Department said the coup plot was intended to overthrow the Congolese government and involved the use of weapons of mass destruction and plans to bomb government buildings.
The three men are charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap individuals in a foreign country — charges that carry severe penalties if convicted.
Marcel Malanga, Thompson and Zalman-Polun are scheduled to make their first court appearance in federal court in Brooklyn. Moesser is expected to appear in federal court in Salt Lake City on Thursday.
Thompson’s attorney, Skye Lazaro, said Wednesday she did not yet have comment on the case. No attorneys were listed for the other three defendants.
The case stems from a long-running FBI investigation and coincides with ongoing discussions between U.S. and Congolese officials over a potential mineral deal and increased security cooperation.