Naval officer sentenced in Afghan SIV bribery scheme amid scrutiny of visa program after terror plot exposed
The Special Immigrant Visa program has come under fire after an Afghan man in Oklahoma allegedly plotted to commit a terror attack on Election Day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A U.S. Navy Reserve officer was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Monday for his role in a years-long bribery scheme involving Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan citizens.
Cmdr. Jeromy Pittmann, 53, of Pensacola, Florida, accepted bribes from Afghan nationals in exchange for drafting, submitting and verifying fraudulent letters of recommendation for Afghan citizens who applied for SIVs with the State Department.
He received 30 months in prison, the Justice Department said. He originally faced 45 years in prison. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department and U.S. Navy Reserve.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MAYORKAS REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON AFGHAN ACCUSED OF ELECTION DAY TERROR PLOT
Lt. Cmdr. Jeromy Pittmann, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Two Five (NMCB 25) November Company officer, stands at parade rest in front of his company during the NMCB 25 casing of the colors ceremony at New Kabul Compound, Afghanistan. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Gordon/U.S. Navy)
Pittmann served as a civil engineer corps officer who deployed to Afghanistan with NATO Special Operations Command.
The State Department offers a limited number of SIVs to enter the United States. Pittman signed more than 20 letters stating he knew and supervised Afghan national applicants while they worked as translators in support of the U.S. military and NATO.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The letters represented that the applicants’ lives were in danger because the Taliban considered them to be traitors and that Pittmann believed they did not pose any threat to the U.S. national security, federal prosecutors said.
"In truth, Pittmann did not know the applicants and had no basis for recommending them for SIVs," the Justice Department said. "In exchange for the fraudulent letters, Pittmann received several thousands of dollars in bribes."
AFGHAN CHARGED WITH ELECTION DAY TERROR PLOT RAISES QUESTIONS, FEARS FROM LAWMAKERS: ‘THIS IS REAL'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A woman holds her passport while sitting in a waiting room before boarding on a Pakistan International Airlines plane, the first commercial international flight to land since the Taliban retook power, at the airport in Kabul on Sept.13, 2021. (KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)
To avoid detection, Pittmann received the bribe money through an intermediary and created false invoices showing that he was receiving the funds for legitimate work unrelated to his military service, authorities said.
Robert P. Storch, an inspector with the Department of Defense, said Pittmann "compromised the integrity of the Afghan SIV system."
The SIV system has come under scrutiny after an Afghan man living in Oklahoma was charged earlier this month with allegedly plotting a terror attack on Election Day on behalf of the Islamic State terror group.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a security guard in Afghanistan before entering the United States in 2021 on a SIV.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is seen making the "Tawhid" gesture in a photo taken. (Department of Justice)
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Authorities believe he became radicalized after he arrived in the U.S. Tawhedi and a juvenile co-conspirator have been charged in connection with the plot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., led several other Republicans in demanding answers from the Biden-Harris administration related to the plot and the admission of Afghans into the U.S.