Diplomat threatened co-worker on Mash Day - on tape recording played in court Guyana Chronicle March 24, 2000 THE former American diplomat at the centre of a massive U.S. visa fraud scam here threatened a co-worker from the Georgetown embassy on Mashramani Day (Republic Day) last month, prosecutors say. The prosecutors Wednesday played tape-recordings in a Chicago court they say show Thomas P. Carroll threatening violence against a co-worker at the embassy if the alleged fraud scheme was exposed. A federal magistrate ordered Carroll held without bond on bribery charges after prosecutors contended he posed a threat to government witnesses and their families if he was released. His alleged Guyanese accomplice, Halim Khan, of the West Demerara, is due for a bond (bail) hearing today in Miami where he was held Friday. Carroll, 32, was arrested Friday while visiting his parents in suburban Chicago. Khan, 36, described by investigators as a middleman who solicited visa business for Carroll, was arrested at Miami airport as he prepared to board a flight to Guyana. U.S. authorities said Khan is also known as `Keith' and `Noel'. Carroll, in charge of issuing visas at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown for a year, was Wednesday formally charged in Chicago with conspiracy to commit visa fraud; producing false visas and bribery. The embassy co-worker he reportedly threatened on Mash Day was actually cooperating with authorities and secretly recording his conversations with Carroll, the Chicago Tribune newspaper said yesterday. It said that Richard Pilger, a Justice Department lawyer, also alleged that Carroll personally participated in violence against Guyanese nationals who threatened to expose the fraud scheme and had at least two corrupt Guyanese policemen assisting him. One person who sparked Carroll's anger had his house raided by four people and his property destroyed and was forced to flee, Pilger said. Official sources here yesterday said they were not aware of the raid and destruction of property. The Chronicle understands three local employees of the embassy have been dismissed this week. Mr Randall Samborn, Public Information Officer for the Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago, told the Chronicle that the quotes the Chicago Tribune reported from the tape recordings played in court Wednesday were accurate. The newspaper reported: ["As nice a guy I am...if I get the facts and that guy is playing some game with me, I have every right to....", Carroll was quoted as saying on February 23 (Republic Day). "To strike back?" asked the cooperating witness. "To strike him more severely and his family and everybody that's important to him," Carroll said. In another conversation that same day, Carroll was heard on the tape saying, "I'm not talking about getting anyone killed." "Uh huh, no, I wouldn't want that," the cooperating witness said. "No, you wouldn't want that because, as a Christian like I am, I've always thought that you can handle things, any kind of situation without having anybody killed," Carroll said. "Now, somebody might be threatened. Somebody might get beat, beat up pretty bad."] Carroll was Wednesday indicted on the three charges and ordered held without bond by Magistrate Morton Denlow. U.S. agents are following leads here from the undercover operation that led to the arrest of Carroll and Khan. Sources said Khan owns a restaurant and several houses on the West Demerara and investigators may be tracing the origin of his finances. Carroll is to appear in court again on April 11. Authorities have seized about US$1.8M in cash and gold bars from safe-deposit boxes and other investment accounts of Carroll's. According to the Chicago Tribune, they said that based on tape-recorded comments by Carroll, they believe an equal amount could still be stashed. Agents have seized an Irish Republic passport in Carroll's name and said he and his wife who is Taiwanese are both fluent in Chinese and have lived in Beijing, China and Taiwan. U.S. investigators are also trying to track down the visas Carroll allegedly sold for bribes to Guyanese and other foreign nationals here. Officials say it is not known how many visas the former U.S. Embassy official allegedly sold in the scam with Khan. Samborn said that "as part of the continuing investigation, we are trying to follow up on the visas that are suspect and what happened with those (the persons) involved." Officials at a press conference in Chicago Monday could not say what types of people would be willing to pay a bribe to obtain a visa or if any of them remain illegally in the U.S. The State Department and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service are trying to track down those still in the U.S. on the fraudulent visas, one official told reporters. As a result of the case, the U.S. Embassy here has suspended issuing non-immigrant visas unless in special emergency cases. A Chicago native, Carroll was a State Department foreign service officer for eight years. The federal probe began last year after two confidential sources told investigators they had been solicited by intermediaries who said they had a contact at the U.S. Embassy willing to sell visas, authorities said. A break in the case came last month when Carroll, routinely shifted to other responsibilities at the embassy here, tried to enlist his replacement in the visa post to join in the bribery scheme, authorities said. The undisclosed official tipped off authorities and agreed to work undercover, wearing a concealed recorder to tape numerous conversations with Carroll, according to the charges. Details provided by the U.S. Justice Department said Carroll was stationed here for the last two years. The complaints allege that he and Khan were conspiring to sell 250 additional U.S. visas in Guyana in exchange for at least US$1M in bribes in US currency. According to law enforcement affidavits attached to the complaints, authorities began investigating the selling of visas in Guyana by Carroll in June 1999. The investigation began after confidential sources told investigators they had been solicited by intermediaries for the purchase of U.S. visas. Khan allegedly was a broker that Carroll used as an intermediary between himself and the purchasers of U.S. visas. From March 1998 to March 1999, Carroll's duties included those of Vice Consul and Chief of the Non-Immigrant Visa Section of the U.S. Embassy here, in which capacity he had sole responsibility for reviewing and adjudicating applications for U.S. visas by Guyanese nationals and other foreign nationals. In February and early March of this year, Carroll allegedly told the cooperating witness (CW) that he would pay for approving visas and that when Carroll left Guyana, as he was anticipating, he would introduce the CW to another individual to act as the CW's local contact in Guyana for the sale of visas. According to the charges, between February 25 and 28, 2000, Carroll paid the CW about $40,000 in US currency for approving visas. Carroll also offered to pay the CW US$4,000 for each future visa if the CW granted visas to applicants identified by Carroll. The CW subsequently left Guyana for Miami, where he and Carroll arranged to meet to discuss the sale of U.S. visas, the affidavits said. Carroll and Khan arrived in Miami on March 16, according to the complaints, and after clearing customs, met with the CW at the airport to arrange for the continuation of the visa-selling scheme by the CW in Guyana. Agents pounced on Khan and Carroll the next day.