Navy Officer’s Bribery Charges Result in Sentencing for Afghan Visa Fraud
Jeromy Pittmann, a U.S. Navy Reserve commander from Florida, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his involvement in a bribery scheme related to Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan nationals, as announced by the Justice Department (DOJ) today.
Conviction Details
Pittmann, 53, of Pensacola, was found guilty by a jury in the District of New Hampshire on July 12. He faced charges including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, making a materially false writing, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Statement from Law Enforcement
“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,” stated Greg Gross, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office.
He added, “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.”
Details of the Scheme
According to court documents, Pittmann accepted bribes from Afghan nationals in exchange for preparing and verifying fraudulent letters of recommendation for SIV applicants seeking refuge in the United States.
Court records indicate that Pittmann signed over 20 letters falsely claiming that he personally knew the visa applicants, had supervised their work as translators for the U.S. military and NATO, and could vouch for their loyalty and lack of security risks to the United States.
In reality, Pittmann had no connection to the applicants, and his recommendations were solely for financial gain, as confirmed by court documents.
Financial Gains and Concealment
Pittmann reportedly received thousands of dollars in bribes for these false letters. To conceal his actions, he routed the bribe payments through an intermediary and created fraudulent invoices to disguise the payments as compensation for unrelated legitimate work, according to the DOJ.
