Congo repatriates 3 Americans who had faced death sentences over a failed coup plot

The three Americans convicted for participating in a botched coup attempt in Congo last year have been repatriated to the United States, days after their death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment, Congo’s presidency said Tuesday.

The three will serve their sentences in the U.S. following the repatriation done in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said on X. 

Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint in the District of Utah Wednesday, charging all three defendants — Marcel Malanga, 22; Tyler Thompson, 22; and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, 37 — and a fourth man, Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, with multiple charges connected to conspiring to unlawfully carry out a coup d’état in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Malanga, Thompson and Zalman-Polun will make their initial court appearances in federal court in Brooklyn, the Department of Justice said in a statement. Further legal proceedings are set to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Moesser is expected to appear on April 10 at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City.

The State Department said it was aware of their transfer into U.S. custody and referred questions to the Justice Department.

“They’re in our custody and we also strongly condemn the armed attacks of May 19 and support the DRC authorities in holding those responsible appropriately accountable,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a news briefing Tuesday. “At the same time, we seek consistent, compassionate, humane treatment and a fair legal process on behalf of those U.S. citizens.”

Malanga is the son of opposition figure Christian Malanga, who led the foiled coup attempt that targeted the presidential palace in Kinshasa. The elder Malanga, who live-streamed from the palace during the attempt, was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said. 

Malanga, who had declared himself “President of New Zaire,” was a rich businessman and former captain in the Congolese army. He stood for elections in 2011 but was arrested and detained for several weeks. Marcel Malanga has said his father forced him to take part in the botched coup attempt that left six people dead.

Also repatriated were Thompson, a friend of the younger Malanga who flew to Africa from Utah for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Zalman-Polun, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.

The news of their repatriation brought joy to families. Thompson’s stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told the AP they didn’t have all the details on the return, “but we’re so excited to have him on American soil again.”

The pardon and repatriation came amid efforts by Congolese authorities to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. in exchange for security support that will help Kinshasa fight rebels in the country’s conflict-hit east.

The release of the U.S. citizens comes a week after the Department of State announced it appointed Massad Boulos as senior adviser for Africa. Boulos traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on April 3 and met with the government officials and business leaders “to advance efforts for durable peace” and to “promote U.S. private sector investment in the region,” according to Bruce’s office.

Boulos last week confirmed the countries were in talks on the issue and said it could involve “multi-billion-dollar investments.” The U.S. has estimated Congo has trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, much of it untapped.

“This decision is part of a dynamic of strengthening judicial diplomacy and international cooperation in matters of justice and human rights between the two countries,” Congo’s presidency said Tuesday of the repatriation.

Dozens of others were convicted after the coup attempt, a majority of them Congolese but also including a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian. Charges included terrorism, murder, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons.

The fate of the others was not immediately clear.

Congo had reinstated the death penalty last year, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks.

Family members last year said the men slept on the floor at a high-security military prison in Kinshasa, struggling with health issues and having to pay for food and hygiene products.