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State Department Official Indicted on Bribery, Conspiracy Charges

According to the Associated Press, a State Department official allegedly accepted bribes from a jewelry company to speed up the visa process. Michael John O’Keefe, the deputy nonimmigrant visa chief at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto , was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges Friday, along with Sunil Agrawal.

Agrawal, a native of India , sent O’Keefe the names of employees who needed visas to work for her company. O’Keefe fast tracked applications and approved others that had been rejected. In return Agrawal supplied O’Keefe with gifts. On January 4, 2004 , Agrawal allegedly wrote O’Keefe an email saying she had booked him two hotel rooms for the Hilton Millennium in Midtown Manhattan and a car service to take him from the airport to the hotel. The following day prosecutors said O’Keefe received a $3,000 ring from Agrawal.

In June after he renewed five more visas for Agrawal’s employees, O’Keefe flew to Las Vegas with two exotic dancers. Agrawal is accused of paying more than $5,400 for airfare, hotels, meals and incidentals for the trip.

O’Keefe was scheduled to appear in federal court last week.

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