Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC March 6, 2007 Former Foreign Service Officer Sentenced in Visa Fraud ConspiracyThe U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago led a 22-month investigation, with cooperation from Lithuanian law enforcement authorities, which resulted in a federal jury’s November 2006 conviction of former Foreign Service Officer Matthew Christ for conspiracy (to commit visa fraud). On March 1, 2007, Judge John W. Darrah, Northern District of Illinois, sentenced Matthew Christ to 24 months incarceration; three years supervised release; and imposed a $5,000 fine. The court ordered Christ to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 23, 2007. Christ was assigned as a Political-Economics Officer from August 1999 to July 2001 at the U.S. Embassy Vilnius, Lithuania, where he conspired to fraudulently provide nonimmigrant visas. Nine others also were convicted in the case. The co-conspirators obtained visas from Christ without appearing in person at the American Embassy in The Department of State's Bureaus of Diplomatic Security and Consular Affairs work collaboratively to detect, combat, and prevent fraud or other criminal activities that threaten the integrity of |