Sham U.S. Embassy Busted After a Decade in Operation
Jackie Reddy December 06, 2016
A report by the U.S. State Department said that organized crime rings were behind the running of the fake embassy.
It has emerged that a fake U.S. embassy in the Ghanaian capital of Accra operated for a decade before being shut down by Ghanaian authorities and the real U.S. Embassy.
A report issued by the State Department in November said that Ghanaian and Turkish crime rings, who bribed local officials to avoid detection, were responsible for the running of the sham embassy, which, the LA Times reports, issued fake visas for $6,000.
This criminal operation was uncovered when a local informant contacted officials as part of the on-going Operation Spartan Vanguard, an initiative that is being used to combat trafficking and fraud in the region.
Those running this fake embassy produced counterfeit documents by copying visas from expired passports which they had purchased. William Cocks, spokesman for the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, confirmed that these visas were easily detectible as fakes.
“None of the individuals who purchased counterfeit visas traveled to the U.S.,” he added.
The State Department’s report reveals just exactly how the fake embassy ensnared its customers.
Those operating the scam, “…drove to the most remote parts of West Africa to find customers. They would shuttle the customers to Accra, and rent them a room at a hotel nearby.”
According to the report, the fake embassy advertized itself via, “…flyers and billboards to cultivate customers from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo.”
A task force raided the embassy last summer, making multiple arrests and collecting evidence including laptops and cell phones. However, the State Department has reported that several suspects remain unaccounted for, but that Ghanaian police have issued warrants for their arrest.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
