Visa Fraud Indictments

Two former American employees of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Acey R. Johnson and Long N. Lee, were indicted today in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California on charges relating to visa fraud. Seven other individuals also were indicted on related charges in connection with this case.

These indictments are the result of an eleven-month investigation conducted by the Diplomatic Security Service, the FBI office in Sacramento, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, and Sri Lankan authorities. Law enforcement officials received valuable assistance from the Bureau of Consular Affairs in this investigation.

In order to ensure the integrity of the visa issuance process, the Consular Section in Colombo has closed temporarily for all but emergency services, for a thorough review of operations. The Consular Section is expected to reopen within a few days.

Illegal issuance of U.S. visas is a serious crime. The Department of State maintains extensive programs to vigorously combat visa fraud and investigates all allegations of such criminal activity. We will continue to work closely with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute all the defendants in this case.