Navy Reserve Officer Convicted in Bribery Scheme for Afghan Visas

Cmdr. Jeromy Pittmann, a Navy reserve officer, was convicted by a federal court on Friday in New Hampshire for his involvement in a bribery scheme related to the State Department's Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) program. Pittmann, who faces decades in prison, was found guilty on four charges, including bribery and concealing a money laundering operation.

Pittmann was accused of signing over 20 fraudulent letters of recommendation for Afghan visa applications, falsely claiming he had supervised the applicants while they worked as translators for the U.S. Army and NATO. He reportedly received $500 per letter from a co-conspirator. 

The scheme, which ran between 2018 and 2020, involved Pittmann fabricating documents to assist Afghans seeking to escape Taliban threats. Pittmann's actions included drafting a dummy invoice to launder money and negotiating additional payments for his services. 

The SIV program, established in 2009, was designed to help Afghans who aided U.S. forces. However, the program has faced delays and backlogs, exacerbated by the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. As of the last reports, around 78,000 SIV applicants remained in Afghanistan.

Pittmann, who was arrested in March 2022, is currently free on bail and will be sentenced on October 21. The Navy has yet to provide an update on his current status within the reserves.