Foreign Service Officer Pleads Guilty to False Statements

As the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, a foreign service officer pleaded guilty on Thursday, January 15, 2004 in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia to making false statements in a visa referral. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security received assistance and support from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, and the Department of Justice, Public Integrity Section.

Alden Stallings, former public affairs officer at U.S. Embassy Seoul, South Korea, admitted to one count of submitting visa referrals from mid-1999 until February 2001 in which the applicants had listed fictitious employment. Stallings signed a plea agreement with the Department of Justice on Dec. 12, 2003 to plead guilty to one count of False Statements. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2004 and faces a maximum of five years in prison.

The Department of State is determined to protect the integrity of the visa process. To that effect, the Bureaus of Diplomatic Security and Consular Affairs are working together to develop and maintain extensive programs that combat and deter visa fraud. Allegations of employee corruption will be investigated, and if appropriate the Department will seek to prosecute and punish those individuals involved to the fullest extent of the law.

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