DOJ: Afghans Paid Bribes to Navy Commander to Secure U.S. VisasJohn Binder 14 Mar 2022
A number of Afghans allegedly paid bribes to a Commander in the United States Navy Reserves in the hopes of securing Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to the U.S. as part of President Joe Biden’s ongoing resettlement operation out of Afghanistan, federal prosecutors allege.
Late last week, the Justice Department announced bribery and visa fraud charges against 53-year-old Navy Reserves Commander Jeromy Pittmann of Pensacola, Florida.
According to the charges, Pittmann — who now resides in Naples, Italy — was paid by Afghans to write up and submit fake recommendation letters for SIVs to the U.S. The more than 20 letters falsely claimed that the Afghans had worked as translators for the U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
Pittmann, in the letters, prosecutors allege, claimed that he oversaw and worked with the Afghans he wrote the fraudulent letters for, that their lives were in jeopardy because they would be targets for the Taliban, and that they were not national security risks.
In reality, the Afghans seeking the SIVs had not worked for the U.S. Armed Forces.
Pittmann, prosecutors claim, got thousands in payments from the Afghans in return for his vouching for their SIV applications. He is now facing up to 20 years in federal prison.
The bribes-for-visa scheme is only the latest scandal with Biden’s Afghan resettlement operation, which has received corporate backing along the way as well as support from Republicans and Democrats.
more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/03/14/doj-afghans-paid-bribes-to-navy-commander-to-secure-us-visas/
