Michael T. Sestak, Visa Bribery, District of Columbia 2013
A former US Foreign Service Officer was sentenced to 64 months in prison for accepting over $3 million in bribes to process visas in a scheme that yielded millions of dollars in bribes, authorities said.
Michael T. Sestak, 44, was sentenced by the Honorable John D. Bates for one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery and visa fraud and to defraud the United States, bribery of a public official, and conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in property derived from illegal activity.
Under the plea agreement, Sestak agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation and the prosecution of other conspirators. He also agreed to the forfeiture of the proceeds of the crimes, which includes the sale of nine properties that he purchased in Thailand with his ill-gotten gains.
Sestak pleaded guilty on Nov. 6, 2013, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. He was arrested on May 13, 2013, and has been in custody ever since.
According to the government's evidence, Sestak and his co-conspirators in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and elsewhere, created and/or submitted approximately 500 fraudulent applications for non-immigrant visas to the United States. The overwhelming majority of these applications were subsequently approved.
The others who have pled guilty include Binh Tang Vo; his sister, Hong Vo, both American citizens who had been living in Vietnam; and their cousin, Truc Tranh Huynh, a Vietnamese citizen.
As a Foreign Service Officer, Michael Sestak should have been upholding his responsibilities to the United States, not illegally cashing in by collecting over $3 million in bribes to short-circuit our visa process, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen said.
Key Facts
- State: District of Columbia
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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