Carroll likely to change not guilty plea
One of the persons held in the US visa sale scam uncovered here earlier this year is scheduled to change his not guilty plea to charges of bribery, conspiring to commit visa fraud, and producing false visas when he appears in court on November 16, sources say. Thomas Carroll, a former Economic Affairs Officer at the US Embassy was scheduled to appear in court on Friday when he had indicated that he would have changed his plea. However, on Thursday, a postponement was applied for and granted by the judge, Blanche M Manning, according to documents from the US Northern District Court. Carroll is charged with West Coast businessman, Halim Khan, who was also implicated in the scam. He is to appear in court on October 27, and he too is likely to change his plea. Both men face a 15-year sentence if they are found guilty and informed sources have indicated that the change of plea could be a result of a plea bargain with the US District Attorney's office which would result in their being given a lighter sentence. Both Carroll and Khan were picked up in the US on March 17. Carroll was arrested and charged at his parents' home in suburban Chicago and Khan was held in Miami as he was about to board a flight back to Guyana. Both have been held without bail since their arrest, which the US District Attorney opposed. A second businessman, who operates in the city, has been helping the US federal authorities in their investigation into the visa sale scam. He is likely to appear before a Grand Jury shortly. The businessman was held by the local unit but was not investigated, as it was understood that he would have travelled to the US and would have been investigated by the authorities there. The local investigation is still ongoing, as the authorities here want to ascertain if any security personnel were involved in the scheme. At a pre-trial hearing for Carroll, the federal prosecutors intimated to the Court that some police personnel had been involved with Carroll. Informed sources say that this information has not yet been shared with local law enforcement authorities.
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