Naval officer sentenced in Afghan SIV bribery scheme amid scrutiny of visa program after terror plot exposed

A U.S. Navy Reserve serviceman was sentenced to much than 2 years successful situation connected Monday for his domiciled successful a years-long bribery strategy involving Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan citizens. 

Cmdr. Jeromy Pittmann, 53, of Pensacola, Florida, accepted bribes from Afghan nationals successful speech for drafting, submitting and verifying fraudulent letters of proposal for Afghan citizens who applied for SIVs pinch nan State Department. 

He received 30 months successful prison, nan Justice Department said. He primitively faced 45 years successful prison. Fox News Digital has reached retired to nan State Department and U.S. Navy Reserve. 

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 astatine parade remainder successful beforehand of his institution during nan NMCB 25 casing of nan colors ceremonial astatine New Kabul Compound, Afghanistan.  (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Gordon/U.S. Navy)

Pittmann served arsenic a civilian technologist corps serviceman who deployed to Afghanistan pinch NATO Special Operations Command.

The State Department offers a constricted number of SIVs to participate nan United States. Pittman signed much than 20 letters stating he knew and supervised Afghan nationalist applicants while they worked arsenic translators successful support of nan U.S. military and NATO. 

The letters represented that nan applicants’ lives were successful threat because nan Taliban considered them to beryllium traitors and that Pittmann believed they did not airs immoderate threat to nan U.S. nationalist security, national prosecutors said. 

"In truth, Pittmann did not cognize nan applicants and had nary ground for recommending them for SIVs," nan Justice Department said. "In speech for nan fraudulent letters, Pittmann received respective thousands of dollars in bribes."

AFGHAN CHARGED WITH ELECTION DAY TERROR PLOT RAISES QUESTIONS, FEARS FROM LAWMAKERS: ‘THIS IS REAL'

A female holds her passport while sitting successful a waiting room earlier boarding connected a Pakistan International Airlines plane, nan first commercialized world formation to onshore since nan Taliban retook power, astatine nan airdrome successful Kabul connected Sept.13, 2021.  (KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

To debar detection, Pittmann received nan bribe money done an intermediary and created mendacious invoices showing that he was receiving nan costs for morganatic activity unrelated to his subject service, authorities said.

Robert P. Storch, an inspector pinch nan Department of Defense, said Pittmann "compromised nan integrity of nan Afghan SIV system."

The SIV strategy has travel nether scrutiny aft an Afghan man surviving successful Oklahoma was charged earlier this period pinch allegedly plotting a panic onslaught connected Election Day connected behalf of nan Islamic State panic group. 

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, worked for nan Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) arsenic a information defender successful Afghanistan earlier entering nan United States successful 2021 connected a SIV.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is seen making nan "Tawhid" motion successful a photograph taken.   (Department of Justice)

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Authorities judge he became radicalized aft he arrived successful nan U.S. Tawhedi and a juvenile co-conspirator person been charged successful relationship pinch nan plot. 

Senate Committee connected Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., led respective different Republicans successful demanding answers from nan Biden-Harris management related to nan crippled and nan admittance of Afghans into nan U.S.