Monthly Archives: December 2021

2021 Holiday Greetings Around the Foreign Service

December 24, 2021 By in Foreign Service, Holidays and Celebrations, Round-Up, Social Media, U.S. Missions, Video of the Week Tags: , , , , , ,

 

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Turkish Media Reports Arrest of U.S. Diplomat, @StateDept Refutes, Turkey Releases Passport

December 23, 2021 By in Foreign Service, Security, Social Media, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , , ,

 

On December 22, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reports that an individual purported to be a U.S. diplomat was arrested in Istanbul:.

“In a written statement from the Istanbul Police Department, it was reported that on Nov. 11, 2021, at around 5 p.m., it was determined that Syrian national R.S., who wanted to go to Germany from Istanbul Airport with a fake passport, tried to go abroad with another person’s passport during the checks at the passport point.

Following an investigation, it was determined that the passport that R.S. used while trying to escape belonged to D.J.K., a diplomat at the U.S. Consulate in Beirut. During the examination of the camera footage, it was noted that the two suspects met in the airport and changed their clothes there and R.S. then received the passport from the American diplomat D.J.K.

In the statement, it was stated that both suspects were taken into custody, and the following information was shared: “During the body search, $10,000 and a diplomatic passport of his own name were found in the envelope from the American citizen D.J.K. Syrian national R.S., who was found trying to exit the country by using fake passports, was one of the persons referred to the judicial authorities. He was released on charges of ‘forgery of official documents.’ The person named D. J. K., an American citizen, was arrested and handed over to prison.”

We should note that there is no U.S. Consulate in Beirut. There is, however, a U.S. Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
On December 23, Daily Sabah has a statement from the State Department refuting that the individual arrested is one of its diplomats:

“We are aware of the detention of a U.S. citizen in Turkey. The individual is not a U.S. diplomat. We are providing appropriate consular services,” a State Department official said but gave no further details.

Later on December 23, Hurriyet Daily News published an image of the U.S. passport of the individual arrested as released by Turkish authorities. The name was redacted but the biographic information and the annotation that “The bearer is a member of the family of …. ” are clearly visible:

Turkish authorities have disclosed the passport of a U.S. citizen who was detained and arrested on the charges of “forging official documents” while reportedly trying to help a Syrian national leave Turkey.

On the first page of the passport, it is seen that the U.S. citizen, identified only by initials D.J.K., was born in Syria in 1988 and received his travel document on May 18, 2021, which is valid until May 17, 2026.

Meanwhile, the U.S. officials denied the allegations that D.J.K. was a U.S. diplomat following reports in the Turkish media that he worked for the U.S. Consulate in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut.

If this is a genuine diplomatic passport, it means that the spouse of the individual arrested is accredited to Lebanon. Diplomatic family members do hold diplomatic passports (as well as regular passports) but their diplomatic status is dependent on the principal, that is the employee’s status and assignment. Diplomatic passports of family members normally carry an annotation such as the one indicated on the passport image released by Turkish authorities.
This passport appears to be a diplomatic passport issued on May 18, 2021. In addition to the annotation, this has a 5-year validity with expiration date of May 17, 2026. U.S. diplomatic passports are typically valid for 5 years; regular passports unless limited by the State Department are normally valid for 10 years. Regular passports also typically do not carry annotations like the one shown in this individual’s passport.
Since the principal in this case was not part of the Turkish charges, we will not publish the name here. We should note however, that the principal appears to be a new employee at State with consular appointment submitted for Senate confirmation just this past summer and confirmed recently via voice vote.
We will likely learn more about this case as it goes forward. Or maybe not. After all, this arrest occurred in Istanbul in November 11, and we’re just hearing of this now, five weeks later. So this was a hush-hush matter until it wasn’t. Makes you wonder what happened, yes?

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Senate Cuts Loose 44 @StateDept/USAID Hostages, Two FS Lists Before Running Out the Door

December 20, 2021 By in Ambassadors, assistant secretaries, Biden, Confirmations, Congress, Foreign Service, FSOs, Hostages, Nominations, Political Appointees, Realities of the FS, Staffing the FS, State Department, Trends, U.S. Missions, U.S. Senate, USAID Tags: , , , , , , , ,

 

The Senate adjourned for the holiday break early morning Saturday at 4:04am ET. The Senate returns on Monday, January 3, 2022 for the beginning of the 2nd session of the 117th Congress.
Except for Rahm Emanuel (nominee for Japan) and Atul Atmaram Gawande (nominee for USAID), all nominations in this group were confirmed via voice vote. See, it wasn’t hard, was it?
Many more nominees are stuck in super glue in the Senate’s Executive Calendar. Over 50 more are pending in Committee. We don’t know how many will require renominations in January.
We expect that some senators will continue to play the game of hold next year because there are no consequences from voters for these actions. Politico’s Global Insider on December 17 notes that the confirmation mess will continue to grow. Apparently, some nominees were even told by the administration to “lobby for themselves.” What-the-what? Happy holidays and that’s not in$$$ane at all!

AMBASSADORSHIPS: CAREER FOREIGN SERVICE

2021-12-18 PN377 ALGERIA – Elizabeth Moore Aubin, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

2021-12-18 PN382 ANGOLA/SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE – Tulinabo S. Mushingi, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Angola, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.

2021-12-18 PN378 BAHRAIN – Steven C. Bondy, of New Jersey, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

2021-12-18 PN786 BANGLADESH – Peter D. Haas, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

2021-12-18 PN1009 BENIN – Brian Wesley Shukan, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Benin.

2021-12-18 PN911 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Michael J. Murphy, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2021-12-18 PN910 BRUNEI – Caryn R. McClelland, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Brunei Darussalam.

2021-12-18 PN732 THE GAMBIA – Sharon L. Cromer, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of The Gambia.

2021-12-18 PN381 CAMEROON – Christopher John Lamora, of Rhode Island, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Cameroon.

2021-12-18 PN937 CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – Patricia Mahoney, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Central African Republic.

2021-12-18 PN417 REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO – Eugene S. Young, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Congo.

2021-12-18 PN1033 EQUATORIAL GUINEA – David R. Gilmour, of the District of Columbia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

2021-12-18 PN733 GUINEA – Troy Damian Fitrell, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Guinea.

2021-12-18 PN379 LESOTHO – Maria E. Brewer, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Lesotho.

2021-12-18 PN873 MOLDOVA – Kent Doyle Logsdon, of Pennsylvania, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Moldova.

2021-12-18 PN939 MOZAMBIQUE – Peter Hendrick Vrooman, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Mozambique.

2021-12-18 PN383 SENEGAL/GUINEA-BISSAU – Michael Raynor, of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Senegal, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

2021-12-18 PN376 SOMALIA – Larry Edward Andre, Jr., of Texas, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Federal Republic of Somalia.

2021-12-18 PN897 SRI LANKA – Julie Chung, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

2021-12-18 PN1005 TOGOLESE REPUBLIC – Elizabeth Anne Noseworthy Fitzsimmons, of Delaware, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Togolese Republic.

2021-12-18 PN380 VIETNAM – Marc Evans Knapper, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

AMBASSADORSHIP: CAREER EXECUTIVE SERVICE

2021-12-18 PN734 PARAGUAY – Marc Ostfield, of Pennsylvania, a Career Member of the Senior Executive Service, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Paraguay.

AMBASSADORSHIPS: NON-CAREER/POLITICAL APPOINTEES

2021-12-18 PN1029 ARGENTINA – Marc R. Stanley, of Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Argentine Republic.

2021-12-18 PN1225 BELGIUM – Michael M. Adler, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Belgium.

2021-12-18 PN738 COSTA RICA – Cynthia Ann Telles, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Costa Rica.

2021-12-18 PN785 FRANCE/MONACO – Denise Campbell Bauer, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the French Republic, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Principality of Monaco.

2021-12-18 PN774 IRELAND – Claire D. Cronin, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ireland.

2021-12-18 PN1004 POLAND – Mark Brzezinski, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Poland.

2021-12-18 PN938 SPAIN/ANDORRA – Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Spain, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Principality of Andorra.

2021-12-18 PN958 SLOVENIA – Jamie L. Harpootlian, of South Carolina, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Slovenia.

2021-12-18 PN1226 SWEDEN – Erik D. Ramanathan, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Sweden.

2021-12-18 PN1030 SWITZERLAND/LIECHTENSTEIN – Scott Miller, of Colorado, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Swiss Confederation, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Principality of Liechtenstein.

2021-12-18 PN1058 JAPAN – Rahm Emanuel, of Illinois, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Japan.

STATE DEPARTMENT

2021-12-18 PN922 MANAGEMENT – John R. Bass, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, to be an Under Secretary of State (Management).

2021-12-18 PN384 STATE/IO – Michele Jeanne Sison, of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Ambassador, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (International Organization Affairs).

2021-12-18 PN616 STATE/PROTOCOL – Rufus Gifford, of Massachusetts, to be Chief of Protocol, and to have the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service.

2021-12-18 PN547 Department of State – Adam Scheinman, of Virginia, to be Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, with the rank of Ambassador.

2021-12-18 PN776 Department of State – Bathsheba Nell Crocker, of the District of Columbia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, with the rank of Ambassador.

2021-12-18 PN781 Department of State – Jack A. Markell, of Delaware, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the rank of Ambassador.

2021-12-18 PN552 Department of State – Christopher P. Lu, of Virginia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform, with the rank of Ambassador.

2021-12-18 PN553 Department of State – Christopher P. Lu, of Virginia, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during his tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform.

2021-12-18 PN934 Department of State – Mark Gitenstein, of Washington, to be Representative of the United States of America to the European Union, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

2021-12-18 PN935 Department of State – Laura S. H. Holgate, of Virginia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador.

 

USAID

2021-12-18 PN415 Marcela Escobari, of Massachusetts, to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.

2021-12-17 PN874 Atul Atmaram Gawande, of Massachusetts, to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.

FOREIGN SERVICE LISTS

2021-12-16 PN726 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Arthur W. Brown, and ending Peter C. Trenchard, which 35 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on June 22, 2021.

2021-12-16 PN728-1 Foreign Service | Nominations beginning Rahel Aboye, and ending Kyra Turner Zogbekor, which 153 nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on June 22, 2021.

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Related post:

 

Senate Releases Burns (China), Toloui (EB), Hussain (IRF), Barrett (Luxembourg) From Confirmation Super Glue

December 17, 2021 By in Ambassadors, assistant secretaries, Confirmations, Functional Bureaus, international organizations, Political Appointees, Senate Hold, Senators, State Department, Trends, U.S. Missions, U.S. Senate Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 

On December 16, the U.S. Senate was able to released four State Department nominees from the body’s confirmation tacky super glue. There were logged senate votes for the first three nominees (China, EB, IRF), and for the confirmation of the Ambassador to Luxembourg, a simple voice vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also tweeted “I have filed cloture to start the process on more than 20 of President Biden’s nominees. These nominees are vital to addressing the national security and economic challenges of our nation. We will work until they are all confirmed by this chamber.”
It was for 22 nominations to be exact. 12 out of 22 are @StateDept nominations. 1 of 12 is a career diplomat (going to Vietnam). In the Senate priorities on which nominations should be confirmed first, former senators and widows of senators are obviously on top of the list, followed by the donor class and the friends with connections class, and then if there is still time, they may also confirm the career folks before they end their session for the holidays. Otherwise, it may not look  good; although that does not seem to matter anymore these days.  Phuey! I supposed we can stick with the hamsters’ motto of the more things change, the more things stay the same. Amen.
Related post:

FSGB: Selection Boards Cannot Rely Almost Exclusively on Discipline Letters For Low-Ranking

December 16, 2021 By in DCM, Foreign Service, FSOs, Grievance, Harassment, State Department Tags: , , , , , ,

 

Via FSGB Case No. 2021-019 | September 28, 2021
Held – Grievant proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the 2020 Foreign Service Selection Board (“FSSB”) committed procedural error in low-ranking him.
Case Summary – Grievant argued that the 2020 FSSB effectively relied only on a discipline letter in his Official Performance Folder (“OPF”) when deciding to identify him for low-ranking, a violation of its Procedural Precepts. While the FSSB also referenced a Developmental Area (“DA”) from his 2018 Employee Evaluation Report (“EER”), grievant argued the FSSB misinterpreted the DA. Moreover, he maintained, the FSSB was required to substantiate the discipline letter and the DA with examples from his evaluations, which it did not do. Grievant argued that the FSSB cannot low-rank him for failing to demonstrate growth without citing examples from his evaluations for the last five years to substantiate its finding, which it failed to do. Grievant asked that the low ranking be rescinded and he be mid-ranked.
The Department of State (“Department”) noted that the discipline letter was correctly included in grievant’s OPF and therefore was appropriately available for review by the FSSB. The FSSB clearly stated in its low-ranking statement (“LRS”) that it had reviewed the past five years of grievant’s evaluations as required by its Procedural Precepts. The FSSB properly linked grievant’s conduct as discussed in the discipline letter to performance standards, skills, and competencies. The FSSB referred to both the discipline letter and the 2018 EER, meeting the standard for specific references established in the FSSB Procedural Precepts. The expectation of professional growth is implicit in the appraisal process and does not require a separate definition. Grievant also failed to place a rebuttal letter into his file although given the opportunity to do so.
The Foreign Service Grievance Board (the “Board”) found that the LRS relied inappropriately on the discipline letter, without the supporting examples from evaluations which are required by its Procedural Precepts. The LRS made a passing reference to the 2018 DA that came from the same rating period as the discipline letter and was not substantiated by examples from relevant EERs as required by the FSSB Procedural Precepts. The LRS inappropriately faulted grievant for failing to demonstrate growth in two specific areas without citing evidence from his OPF. Grievant’s decision not to submit a rebuttal to the discipline letter is irrelevant.
The Board granted the grievance and ordered the Department to rescind the low-ranking and amend grievant’s record to show mid-ranking.
Details:

REDACTED(“grievant”) is an FO-01 Economic Officer employed by the Department of State (the “Department” or the “Agency”) since 1998. He has served at numerous foreign and domestic posts, and by 2018 had earned three Meritorious Service Awards across his 20-year career.

On May 31, 2017, grievant was assigned as Deputy Chief of Mission (“DCM”) to the U.S.Embassy REDACTED (the “post” or the “country”). Upon his arrival grievant became the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim (“CDA”) of the U.S. Embassy at post, and served in that capacity until January 27, 2018 when a new ambassador arrived. During the time grievant was CDA, he appointed his Management Officer (“MO”) as his Acting Deputy Chief of Mission (“ADCM”) upon her arrival at post in August 2017.

Between September 2017 and January 27, 2018 grievant made a series of inappropriate comments and gestures directed at the MO and an office management specialist (“OMS”), persisting even after being advised he was making others uncomfortable. On April 5, 2019, the Department proposed discipline of a seven-day suspension without pay based upon a June 6, 2018 Sexual Harassment Inquiry received from the Office of Civil Rights (“S/OCR”). After receiving grievant’s written and oral submissions in response to the discipline proposal, the Department mitigated the discipline to a five-day suspension in a letter, dated April 6, 2020, which listed nine specifications of inappropriate comments. Consistent with regulation,1 this letter was placed in grievant’s OPF where it will remain until May 2022.
[…]
Grievant does not challenge the presence of the discipline letter in his OPF. However, he argues that the FSSB is barred by its Procedural Precepts from relying solely on a discipline letter in order to low rank him; that it is required to do more than just allude to reviewing the last five years of his evaluations and must instead cite specific examples from those evaluations linked to his alleged inadequacies. He further contends that the FSSB cannot low rank based on a perceived lack of growth in specific skills, absent examples drawn from his evaluations.

Grievant dismisses the Department’s argument that he could have placed a rebuttal letter in his OPF in response to the discipline letter but failed to do so. The right to submit a rebuttal, he insists, is irrelevant to the procedural error committed by the FSSB.
[…]
This Board finds that the Procedural Precepts are clear regarding the standards for taking the serious decision to low rank an employee for good reason. Affirmations cannot replace the specific examples required by the Procedural Precepts. A void in substantiating failure to perform cannot be compensated with specific examples related to positive performance.
[…]
The Board finds that the FSSB misinterpreted the DA. Grievant arrived at post in May 2017, and the OIG investigators came in October 2017. Any adverse findings by the OIG relating to the embassy’s internal management could not logically be attributed to any failing by grievant in those few months.
[…]
The Board acknowledges the gravity of grievant’s conduct and the importance of considering the discipline letter as part of the FSSB process. However, as we recently decided in FSGB Case No. 2021-002 (June 25, 2021) at 21:

The FSSB precepts also sought to protect employees from being sanctioned twice for the same misconduct by prohibiting sole reliance on discipline letters when the FSSB is making decisions about low-ranking.

By relying exclusively on the discipline letter without any substantiating examples from grievant’s evaluations for the past five years, the FSSB has committed procedural error, and has sought to penalize grievant twice for his conduct.

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Note: Depending on the browser you’re using, the FSGB cases may not be available to read online; each record may need to be downloaded to be accessible. With Firefox browser, however, you may select “open with Firefox” if you want to read the case file, or save the file to your computer. Please use the search button here to locate specific FSGB records.

 

 

A Plot To Injure Or Kill Myanmar’s Ambassador to The United Nations

December 16, 2021 By in Ambassadors, Court Cases, Diplomatic Security Tags: , , , ,

 

Via USDOJ:

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the guilty plea of YE HEIN ZAW, a citizen of Myanmar, for his role in a conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.  ZAW pled guilty today in White Plains federal court before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As he admitted in court today, Ye Hein Zaw participated in a plot to injure or kill Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations in a planned attack that was to take place on American soil.  Zaw now awaits sentencing for his crime.  I commend the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners at all levels of government to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats and officials in the United States and bring the perpetrators of this plot to justice.”

According to the Information to which ZAW pled guilty, the complaint that was filed in this case, and statements made during court proceedings:

Between at least in or about July 2021 through at least on or about August 5, 2021, ZAW, a citizen of Myanmar residing in New York, conspired with others to injure or kill Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (the “Ambassador”).  During the conspiracy, a co-conspirator communicated with an arms dealer in Thailand (the “Arms Dealer”) who sells weapons to the Burmese military, which overthrew Myanmar’s civilian government in or about February 2021.  In the course of those conversations, the co-conspirator and the Arms Dealer agreed on a plan in which the co-conspirator would hire attackers to hurt the Ambassador in an attempt to force the Ambassador to step down from his post.  If the Ambassador did not step down, then the Arms Dealer proposed that the attackers hired by the co-conspirator would kill the Ambassador.

Shortly after agreeing on the plan, ZAW contacted the co-conspirator by cellphone and, using a money transfer app, transferred approximately $4,000 to the co-conspirator as an advance payment on the plot to attack the Ambassador.  Later, during a recorded phone conversation, ZAW and the co-conspirator discussed how the planned attackers would require an additional $1,000 to conduct the attack on the Ambassador in Westchester County, and, for an additional payment, the attackers could, in substance, kill the Ambassador.  In response, ZAW agreed, in substance, to pay the additional $1,000 and to try to obtain the additional money.

ZAW pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon a foreign official, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

ZAW is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Halpern on May 10, 2022.

Read more:

Snapshot: Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Ineligibilities FY2020*

December 16, 2021 By in Consular Work, Immigration, Snapshots, State Department, U.S. Missions, Visas Tags: , , , , , ,

 

Via state.gov, partial stats on IV and NIV ineligibilities by Grounds for Refusal Under the Immigration and Nationality Act) Fiscal Year 2020*
The full document is available here (PDF).

3 Listed total ineligibility findings pursuant to the 2017 E.O. on Immigration are not directly comparable to refusal counts provided in the Department of State’s Quarterly/Monthly Report of Implementation of Presidential Proclamation (P. P.) 9645. Refusal statistics in the Quarterly/Monthly Reports do not include applications subsequently issued, and are reported cumulatively from December 8, 2017, the date of full P. P. 9645 implementation, through the end of the stated reporting period, rather than by fiscal year as in the table above. Counts of monthly new subject applications provided in the Quarterly/Monthly Reports include not only applications found ineligible on P. P. 9645-grounds, as above, but also those issued pursuant to an exception or waiver or refused on non-P. P. 9645 grounds. President Biden signed PP 10141 on January 20, 2021, ending the travel restrictions under P. P. 9645.

 

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How to Fix Cancún Cruz’s Blockade? Send All Pending Nominees Out as Special Presidential Envoys

December 14, 2021 By in Ambassadors, Biden, State Department, Trends, U.S. Missions, U.S. Senate Tags: , , , , ,

 

That’s right.
Skip the  boring U.S. Senate votes.
President Biden ought to just send out all the pending nominees for ambassadors as Special Presidential Envoys to countries around the globe. If the nominees have cleared the SFRC but have been subjected to the blanket hold by senators chasing their presidential ambitions in laughable displays, President Biden should just save these senators from their jobs, and appoint his nominees as Special Presidential Envoys. He should then swear-in all the SPEs at the White House and send them off packing to get to their new posts ASAP. The Special Presidential Envoys would still need to report to the geographic assistant secretaries in Foggy Bottom, but they will be at our missions overseas instead of being held hostages in Washington D.C.
Back in 2014, the GOP Senate did the same thing with President Obama’s nominees. At that time we wrote:

Certainly, a mass appointment of Special Presidential Envoys would be a bad precedent.  We are also pretty sure our U.S. Senate would be terribly unhappy and offended if President Obama simply announce the appointments of five dozen Special Presidential Envoys in place of his ambassadors. And without the advice and consent of the Senate. Of course, they would!

(Gosh! If this happens,we would missed a whole lot of informative and entertaining performances on C-Span).

That said, if our senators cannot do kumbaya work for the sake of the United States, if they continue trading blame on why the nominees are stuck in the Senate, and if they kept on putting party before country, why then should we mind if they are offended and get ulcers?

Right now, the two parties are not trading blame.
It’s just one party that has long lost control of its screaming children (oh let’s not even start about the best quality people they have in the House). It is bonkers that one or two senators could place a blanket hold on nominees with no relation to their pet issues or even without any pet issue. One senator placed a hold on nominations unless two cabinet secretaries resign. One senator wanted diplomats to”not get invited to parties” in China. This senator must think diplomats go to diplomatic receptions and parties for fun; just how deep is this willful ignorance?
These senators went to the best schools, and have been in office for a while; they must realized the consequences their actions have on our overseas missions. So, no, it’s not that they don’t know that their actions have consequences. It’s simply that they don’t care. Whatever consequences may befall our overseas missions due to their actions; they don’t care. There’s no way around that reality.
But surely, these senators’ pet issues are the most important issues in all the world, right? More important than our country’s standing in the world. More important than the perceptions among foreign audience that the United States is screwy these days. Also more important than finding out who’s to blame for the January 6 insurrection. Servants of the people serving their own selves and ambitions. Oh, yes, aren’t we lucky to be served by these servants who loved our country more than they love their own pretty selves? Give them an applause, please.
But go ahead, Joe … make our day and give these senators some goddamn ulcers!
Release all the Special Presidential Envoys into the wild (and not so wild places)!
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Related post:

Dear Senators, Do You Really Want President Obama to Appoint 65 Special Presidential Envoys?

 

First Extradition From Cameroon to US: Fugitive to Serve an 80-Year Prison Sentence

December 14, 2021 By in AF |Africa, Americans Abroad, Consular Work, Court Cases, Diplomatic Security, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 

Via USDOJ:

In the first extradition from the Republic of Cameroon to the United States, a Texas man was extradited to Houston on Friday to serve an 80-year prison sentence he received in absentia four years ago after he pleaded guilty in two separate cases to conspiracy, health care fraud, money laundering, and tax offenses.

According to court documents, in November 2016, Ebong Aloysius Tilong, 57, of Sugar Land, Texas, and his wife, Marie Neba, went to trial on the conspiracy, health care fraud, and money laundering charges. The trial evidence and court documents showed that between 2006 and 2015, Tilong, Neba, and their co-conspirators used Tilong and Neba’s company, Fiango Home Healthcare Inc. (Fiango), to corruptly obtain more than $13 million by submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for home health care services that Fiango’s patients did not need or receive. The trial evidence and court documents also showed that Tilong and Neba paid illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters to refer patients to Fiango, and that Tilong falsified and directed others to falsify medical records to make it appear as though Fiango’s patients met the Medicare qualifications for home health care. Additional evidence demonstrated that Tilong attempted to destroy evidence and blackmail and suborn perjury from witnesses. After the first week of trial, Tilong pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, three counts of payment and receipt of health care kickbacks, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

In June 2017, Tilong pleaded guilty in a separate case to two counts of filing fraudulent tax returns. In connection with this guilty plea, Tilong admitted that he created a shell company called Quality Therapy Services (QTS) to limit the amount of tax that he paid to the IRS on the proceeds that he and his co-conspirators stole from Medicare. According to Tilong’s plea agreement, in 2013 and 2014, Tilong wrote almost $1 million in checks from Fiango to QTS for physical-therapy services that QTS never provided to Fiango’s patients and deducted as business expenses. Tilong admitted that his tax fraud scheme caused the IRS a tax loss of approximately $344,452.

In August 2017, Neba was sentenced to 75 years in prison the Medicare fraud scheme at Fiango. The U.S. District Court scheduled Tilong’s sentencing for Oct. 13, 2017, but court records show that on the morning of his sentencing hearing, Tilong removed an ankle bracelet monitoring his location and failed to respond to phone calls from, or appear in, the U.S. District Court for his sentencing. On Dec. 8, 2017, the U.S. District Court sentenced Tilong in absentia to 80 years in prison for his role in the Medicare and tax fraud schemes.
[…]

In September 2021, the Republic of Cameroon President Paul Biya signed a decree ordering Tilong’s removal to the United States.

On Dec. 10, 2021, U.S. Marshals escorted Tilong from Cameroon to the United States.

The United States is grateful to the Government of Cameroon for its cooperation and support of this extradition request.

Read more:

State/OBO Topping Out 2021: Windhoek, Beirut, Nogales, Nassau, Mexico City, Hermosillo

December 13, 2021 By in Contractors, Functional Bureaus, New Embassy, Round-Up, Social Media, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , , ,

 

 

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