Meliton Cordero, a Supervisory Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), was arrested in Washington, D.C., and charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and visa fraud. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro after a complaint was unsealed in U.S. District Court.
Cordero, 47, has spent six years assigned to the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. According to charging documents, he allegedly accepted thousands of dollars from foreign nationals in exchange for helping them secure nonimmigrant visas to visit the United States temporarily. The documents detail that Cordero expedited at least 119 visa applications during his assignment, including at least one alleged fraudulent application, and sometimes coached individuals before their interviews with U.S. Consular Officers.
In one case cited in the complaint, Cordero met with a foreign national and provided them with both a passport and visa enabling travel to the United States after receiving cash.
“This individual was entrusted by the American people to faithfully execute his duties and represent the American Government abroad as a leader within the DEA,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Instead, he is alleged to have broken the law, squandered this special trust and undercut the President’s immigration priorities. This behavior by any government official is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole commented on the situation: “The alleged actions do not reflect the thousands of DEA professionals who serve honorably every day dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities at home and abroad,” he said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to professionalism, transparency, and the rule of law.”
Authorities involved in investigating this case include Homeland Security Investigations’ Newark Field Office and Santo Domingo office, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, and DEA itself. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Officials emphasized that a complaint only outlines charges against a defendant; it does not serve as evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
