Foreign Service officer Michael T Sestak was charged by the US government with selling non-resident visas (green cards), mostly for between $50,000 and $70,000 - roughly 1.5 million to 2.1 million baht. He has been held without bail for more than a week as a "serious flight risk" defendant. Mr Sestak faces charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and bribery.
The number of visas allegedly sold by Mr Sestak, 42, is not yet known. But a 28-page affidavit filed by the US government against him alleges he "received several million dollars in bribes" from Vietnamese seeking to emigrate to the United States.
The affidavit alleged:
"He ultimately moved the money out of Vietnam by using money launderers through offshore banks, primarily based in China, to a bank account in Thailand that he opened in May 2012. He then used the money to purchase real estate in Phuket and Bangkok, Thailand."
Presumably, Mr Sestak bought condominiums, although the affidavit did not reveal that detail.
#2
Corruption and intimidation seem to be the government themes recently. I wonder what our founding fathers would have said about large and powerful central governments....
#4
Selling Visa's is common. Its usually a low level guy. Our entire immigration program is a train wreck from policy on down to implementation.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/27/2013 12:04 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Hmm, wonder if he's any relation to Joe Sestak?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
05/27/2013 15:27 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Sestak would have been one of the top few deputies of Mr. Le, the Consular General in HCMC. Le should be fired for lousy oversight. The thousands of Visas granted by this guy need to be re-examined; thousands more denials re-examined; and the moneys paid to Sestak should be returned to the cheated applicants. Further, the VN government should prosecute this 'director of a multinational company' along with his minions and toss them in jail to break rocks and coconuts for 30 years.
Y'all _do_ realize that the sorts of people in VN who can pay $ 50-70K for a visa are likely members of the aristocracy Party of the Vanguard Of the Proletariat and their relatives who miraculously always come out on top in the shiny new capitalist system, right?
#9
"Y'all _do_ realize that the sorts of people in VN who can pay $ 50-70K for a visa are likely members of the aristocracy Party of the Vanguard ..."
In my experience, this is NOT the case. The folks paying the $50K are likely taking loans from family members to pay the fixer or being trafficked/smuggled. The party big wigs, while they may have the $$$, also likely need approval of the GOV to even apply for a visa let alone actually use it to leave the country. Usually applies to the family also. Loyalty to the party and all that ya know.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
05/27/2013 17:42 Comments ||
Top||
#10
You're probably right.
My general point still stands: I wouldn't trust their government to be honest or just, and since it runs their economy, more or less, I wouldn't expect that to be honest or just either.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
