Chinese aliens link seen - restaurant was recruiting point By Patrick Denny Stabroek News March 31, 2000 A restaurant in Georgetown was said to be a key recruiting point for the visa sale scam in which a US diplomat and a Guyanese have been implicated and reports yesterday pointed to a possible link with the stream of Chinese aliens passing through this country. United States Federal authorities have refused to disclose the origin of the foreign nationals who bought visas from embassy official Thomas Carroll as mentioned in affidavits accompanying the charges filed against him and Guyanese Halim Khan, but unconfirmed reports indicate a Chinese connection. Some Chinese illegal migrants have been held here over the last year or two and some have given as the pretext for being here their interest in bird-watching. It has been noted that Carroll was stationed in China, before being posted here and had married a Taiwanese. He is said to be fluent in the language. Federal authorities have also refused to say whether the "safe place" used by Carroll to store records has been uncovered. The affidavits, which included tape-recorded conversations between Carroll and his replacement, quoted Carroll as saying that he kept a safe place in the United States to store written records, including records in Chinese, and audio-visual electronic records, concerning the activities of himself and others. Carroll, economic affairs officer in the embassy here, and Khan were arrested on March 17 in Chicago and Miami respectively. They have been charged and denied bail and are to appear again in court on April 11 in Chicago. They are charged with conspiring to commit visa fraud, producing false visas and bribery. The latter two charges carry a 15-year jail term; the first carries only a five-year jail term. Stabroek News had approached the embassy months ago about a report that one of its officers was involved in the sale of visas, but was assured that the allegation was untrue and had reported this. The investigation of Carroll had started in mid-1999, and at about the same time US Consul Vincent Principe initiated a public education programme about the embassy's consular operations, which included a number of briefing sessions with journalists. At one of these sessions, Carroll denied the involvement of any embassy employee in the sale of visas and had detailed the various ploys used by Guyanese to obtain visitors visas. He also outlined scams used by local con artists to deceive innocent persons that they could obtain visas for them. Since Carroll and Khan were arrested, Stabroek News understands, three of the embassy's local employees have been dismissed and their visas revoked. One of them had worked at the embassy for decades and another had been employed at an Asian company before moving to the US embassy. Stabroek News understands that this former employee was involved in recruiting clients for Carroll who met them at a Georgetown Chinese restaurant where the arrangements were concluded. The third employee dismissed was a former senior police officer who left the Police Force to join the embassy staff. This newspaper understands that he had been asked to investigate the recruiter but instead was diverted by Carroll who had befriended him. Meanwhile, it has been learnt that Carroll's replacement as head of the Non-Immigrant Visa section has not returned to Guyana. The Foreign Service Officer, who was instrumental in the arrests of Carroll and Khan, had been reportedly threatened by Carroll. His wife, who was also threatened, was transported out of Guyana under the guise of being ill and her husband, having lured Carroll and Khan to the US has not returned. The officer, Stabroek News understands was not a regular career diplomat but was attached to the Inspectorate of the US State Department. According to reports, Carroll's removal from the Non-Immigrant Visa section has compromised a number of other 'backtrack' (illegal migration) operations and led to the arrest of several persons. These other operations netted Carroll, Stabroek News understands, as much as US$40,000 at a time. At his bail hearing Justice Department lawyers testified that at least two Guyanese police officers were involved with Carroll. The US District Attorney's office has told Stabroek News that the names of the officers were not disclosed in court. Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj and Police Commissioner, Laurie Lewis, have said that they have not been formally apprised about this aspect of the case. However, the commissioner has said that if hard evidence was provided to support the allegation, appropriate action would be taken. After Carroll, who is also the holder of an Irish passport, was arrested, the federal authorities seized some US$1.8 million in gold and currency. The authorities believe that he has another similar amount stashed away. Meanwhile, Principe told Stabroek News yesterday he was still not in a position to say when the Consular Section would return to full operations. However, Principe said, non-immigrant visas were being issued on an emergency basis almost daily for persons to attend funerals, and for urgent medical treatment among other reasons it deems as being emergencies. The issue of non-immigrant visas was suspended following the arrests of Carroll and Khan. Principe said that about 90 applications a day for non-immigrant visas, which are issued through the Citizens Bank, are being received at the embassy.