March 25, 2003

Visa Fraud Guilty Pleas Following Nuevo Laredo Investigation

The Department of Justice announced the guilty pleas of a former visa adjudicator and former visa clerks entered before the U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas on March 20, 2003. Following an investigation by the Department of State, the four individuals were charged with conspiracy to sell visas. These individuals were each responsible for parts of the visa process including interviewing applicants for U.S. visas, reviewing the applications, and approving non-immigrant visas for travel to the United States.

The guilty pleas arose from a criminal investigation that began approximately seven months ago, and ultimately resulted in the closure of the U.S. Consulate office in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on Jan. 29, 2003. It appears that there is an ongoing criminal investigation, and the defendants are cooperating with the ongoing investigation as part of the plea bargain.

Allegations that consulate employees were involved in a scheme to provide visas and border crossing cards in exchange for money sparked the investigation. The scheme involved people buying visas without required interviews, and without the required determination that a person was qualified for a visa.

The Special Agents of the Diplomatic Security Service, of the United States Department of State and Special Agents of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, are conducting the investigation.

  DOJ Press Release (PDF/73 kb, 2 pages)