Former US Embassy Employees Indicted for Visa Fraud

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, May 03, 2003

Former US Embassy Employees Indicted for Visa Fraud

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Two former employees of the US embassy in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo were indicted on Friday in the US District Court in Sacramento, California, on charges relating to visa fraud and alien smuggling, the US embassy here said in a statement.

A. C. Robert Johnson and Long N Lee and seven other individuals were indicted in connection with this case. No other American staff at the embassy are suspected of involvement, the USembassy in Colombo said in a statement available Saturday.

These indictments are the result of an 11-month investigation conducted by the Diplomatic Security Service, the US embassy in Colombo, the FBI, the US Attorney's Office in Sacramento, California, the Department of Justice, and Sri Lankan authorities.

In order to ensure the integrity of the US visa and the visa issuance process, US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ashley Wills, has decided to close the Consulate temporarily to all but emergency services for a thorough review of operations. The Consulate is expected to reopen within a few days.

The illegal issuance of US visas is a serious crime that threatens American borders and the national security of the UnitedStates. The Department of State maintains extensive programs to combat vigorously visa fraud and investigates all allegations of such criminal activity, the statement said.

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