Report: Nazi commander Michael Karkoc living in US since World War II (VIDEO)

GlobalPost
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A top Nazi commander lied to immigration officials and has been living in the United States since World War II, an Associated Press investigation has found.

According to the report published Friday, Michael Karkoc told American authorities in 1949 that he had performed no military service during the war and moved to Minneapolis, where he's been living ever since.

On Friday, Polish officials pledged to work with their American counterparts in the investigation. A Polish embassy official told ABC News "based on the evidence a decision on extradition will be made."

Karkoc claimed he had worked for his father, and then in a labor camp.

But records show Karkoc, now 94, was an officer and founding member of the Ukrainian Self Defense Legion, which fought alongside Nazi German soldiers and took orders from the SS.

The unit "liquidated" entire villages, burning them down and killing members of the resistance, women and children in both the Ukraine and Poland.

Karkoc was also an officer in the SS Galician Division, which was involved in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

The AP uncovered Karkoc's service background through military records, but also obtained a memoir written by Karkoc in 1995 detailing his war past that is available through the Library of Congress.

The US Justice Department has deported suspected Nazi criminals in the past over lies about wartime service, and German authorities have expressed interest in the case to the AP.

Karkoc refused to discuss his wartime service at his home in northeast Minneapolis.

"I don't think I can explain," Karkoc said.

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