Sestak was the chief of a division that reviewed visa applications in Ho Chi Minh City. He used his power to launch a shady business on the black market in Vietnam, selling visas for thousands of dollars.
The whole scam required several co-conspirators who also wanted their share and in general collected over $9 million. In order to recruit and approve visas, Sestak fell into cahoots with American and Vietnamese citizens in Ho Chi Minh.
The fraudful scheme allowed Sestak to approve around 500 applications. Most of the applicants were Vietnam residents who previously were rejected entry for variety of reasons.
Prosecutors say the clients had to pay from $15,000 to $70,000 for the service. Many of those who managed to illegally enter the US ended up engaging in false marriages, overstaying their visa and vanishing.
“Because of this defendant’s selfish greed, nearly 500 foreign nationals were able to enter the United States without the proper screening” said US attorney for the District of Columbia Vincent H. Cohen Jr.
Some of the other people involved in the scam have already been sentenced. An American citizen living in Vietnam who took home $5 million was sentenced to eight years behind bars.
Sestak was arrested on May 2012 and pleaded guilty in November.
