The U.S. Justice Department released the below information yesterday:
A U.S. Navy Reserve Commander from Florida was sentenced today
to 30 months in prison for his role in a years-long bribery scheme involving
Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan nationals.
According to
court documents and evidence submitted at trial, Jeromy Pittmann, 53, of
Pensacola, accepted bribe payments from Afghan nationals in exchange for
drafting, submitting, and verifying fraudulent letters of recommendation for
Afghan nationals who applied for SIVs with the U.S. Department of State. Since
2009, Congress has authorized the State Department to offer a limited number of
SIVs to enter the United States for Afghan nationals who were employed as
translators for U.S. military personnel. Pittmann signed over 20 letters in
which he fraudulently represented that he personally knew and had supervised
the Afghan national visa applicants while they worked as translators in support
of the U.S. military and NATO; that the applicants’ lives were in jeopardy
because the Taliban considered them to be traitors; and that, based on his
personal knowledge of the applicants, he believed they did not pose any threat
to the national security of the United States. In truth, Pittmann did not know
the applicants and had no basis for recommending them for SIVs. In exchange for
the fraudulent letters, Pittmann received several thousands of dollars in
bribes. To avoid detection, Pittmann received the bribe money through an
intermediary and created false invoices purporting to show that Pittmann was
receiving the money for legitimate work unrelated to his military service.
On July 12, Pittmann
was convicted by a jury in the District of New Hampshire after
a four-day trial of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, making a materially
false writing, and conspiring to commit money laundering.
“By protecting
Afghan nationals who risk their personal safety to help the U.S. government,
the SIV program is essential for the security of U.S. military and diplomatic
personnel in Afghanistan,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Jeromy Pittmann, however, used his position of authority over the program to
benefit foreign nationals who paid him bribes, falsely asserting that they had
served the United States. Today’s sentence demonstrates that the Justice
Department has zero tolerance for those who place their self-interest ahead of
our national security.”
“This case shows
how someone betrayed his sacred oath of office to commit crimes for personal
gain, with no regard for how his actions could threaten U.S. homeland security
and harm Afghans, who risked their lives to help the United States,” said
Inspector General John F. Sopko of the Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). “It also shows how a U.S. Government
investigation — from initial tip to prosecution to conviction — can hold
individuals accountable for their crimes. I’m proud of SIGAR special agents and
our investigative partners who brought Pittmann to justice, and I hope their
hard work will deter others from pursuing similar acts.”
“Pittmann’s
participation in this bribery scheme not only jeopardized the integrity of the
SIV program, which protects our allies, but also introduced significant
security risks to our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS
and our partners will continue to hold accountable those who exploit government
processes for personal gain, ensuring that the safety of the public and our
warfighters is preserved.”
“Pittmann
deliberately chose self-enrichment over service when he violated federal law in
his lengthy bribery scheme. He also compromised the integrity of the Afghan SIV
system which is intended for those who faithfully performed activities while
working for, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Afghanistan,” said
Inspector General Robert P. Storch of the Department of Defense. “The Defense
Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), in collaboration with its law
enforcement partners, is resolved to help bring to justice those who abuse
their public office for personal gain.”
“The Diplomatic
Security Service (DSS) is firmly committed to protecting the integrity of all
U.S. visas and travel documents,” said Deputy Assistant Director Greg Batman of
DSS. “This
case is the result of a strong partnership among federal law enforcement
agencies and DSS’ global network of special agents working together to stop
visa and passport crimes, and to stop criminals from earning illegal income by
exploiting U.S. visas, passports, and foreign nationals.”
SIGAR, NCIS,
DCIS, and DSS investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Matt Kahn and Theodore M. Kneller of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
