U.S. Naval Officer Sentenced for Role in Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Bribery Scheme

In a recent case involving fraudulent activities, a former U.S. Navy Reserve officer has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for providing fraudulent letters of recommendation for Afghan nationals seeking Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). Cmdr. Jeromy Pittmann, 53, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty to his involvement in the bribery scheme, which undermined the integrity of the SIV program.

The Bribery Scheme

Pittmann, who served as a civil engineer corps officer and deployed to Afghanistan with NATO Special Operations Command, accepted bribes from Afghan nationals in exchange for drafting, submitting, and verifying fraudulent letters of recommendation. These letters were intended to support Afghan citizens in their applications for SIVs with the State Department. The Justice Department revealed that Pittmann signed over 20 letters falsely claiming to know and supervise Afghan applicants who worked as translators for the U.S. military and NATO.

Fraudulent Recommendations

The fraudulent letters represented that the applicants' lives were in danger due to being considered traitors by the Taliban and assured that they posed no threat to U.S. national security. However, the Justice Department emphasized that Pittmann had no actual knowledge of the applicants and lacked a legitimate basis for recommending them for SIVs. In return for these fraudulent letters, Pittmann received substantial bribes.

Concealment of Illicit Activities

To evade detection, Pittmann employed deceptive tactics by receiving the bribe money through an intermediary and creating false invoices to present the payments as legitimate work unrelated to his military service. Robert P. Storch, an inspector with the Department of Defense, condemned Pittmann's actions, stating that he compromised the integrity of the Afghan SIV system.

Recent Scrutiny of the SIV System

The SIV program has faced increased scrutiny following the arrest of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan man residing in Oklahoma, who was charged with allegedly plotting a terror attack on Election Day on behalf of the Islamic State terror group. Tawhedi, who worked as a security guard for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan before entering the U.S. in 2021 on a SIV, is believed to have become radicalized after his arrival in the United States.

Concerns Raised

Additionally, the plot involving Tawhedi has raised concerns among lawmakers, prompting Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., and fellow Republicans to demand answers from the Biden-Harris administration regarding the admission of Afghans into the U.S.