NEWARK N.J. - A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was charged today with offering a bribe to an employee of the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, announced.
Luis Santos, 27, of Teaneck, New Jersey, was arrested this morning and charged by complaint with one count of bribery of a public official. Santos is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III in Newark federal court.
According to the complaint:
Santos offered to pay a United States Consular Adjudicator approximately $2,500 to favorably handle and review non-immigrant visas, which allowed individuals from the Dominican Republic to apply for entry into the United States.
Santos faces a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, under the direction of Aaron Codispoti, Acting Director of the Office of Investigations and Counterintelligence, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen D. Stringer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
