WASHINGTON, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - Anyone, who participated in the Nazi war crimes and entered the United States illegally, should not be benefiting from the US government, Director of Government Affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center in New York Mark Weitzman told RIA Novosti.
“If there was some sort of benefit that somehow was hinted at or given to these people, we’re certainly disappointed about that,” Weitzman stated Monday, commenting on the Associated Press (AP) investigation on several dozen Nazis, fleeing the United States prior to the deportation.
Once the US government knew about the immigrants’ association with the Nazi regime, it created a problem by allowing them to live and work in the US, Weitzman stated.
The alleged Nazi criminals left the United States voluntarily, and the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) did not advocate any retention of retirement benefits upon their behalf, Public Affairs Specialist with the USDOJ Peter Carr told RIA Novosti on Monday.
“To date, according to Department of Justice (DoJ), it has brought cases against 137 alleged Nazi criminals and has been successful in 107 of those cases. Most of the remaining cases were unsuccessful only because of the death or medical incapacity of the defendant prior to trial or judgment. Seventeen have been criminally charged in European countries” Carr added.
The Associated Press (AP) recently investigated that millions of US dollars in Social Security benefits have been provided to Nazis, who fled the United States before they could be deported. The AP probe uncovered information which indicates that since 1979 a minimum of 38 of the 66 suspects, who separated from the United States kept their benefits.
