A man from Honolulu, along with two others, has been charged in federal court for a scheme that reportedly began in 2018, which involved providing over 200 fraudulent visa application recommendations for Afghan citizens seeking to live in the U.S. They allegedly accepted payments of $500 for each recommendation, with instances of receiving valuable emeralds as well.
The trio, including Marty Anthony Muller, Mushtaq Ahmad Habibi, and Daud Kalantari, was charged on October 18 with multiple counts including false writings, wire fraud, and visa fraud conspiracy. Muller, residing in Kalihi, is currently out on a $50,000 unsecured bond, while Habibi and Kalantari are free on bonds in Virginia and California, respectively.
According to a special agent’s affidavit, they collaborated to create and submit hundreds of fraudulent letters of recommendation to support Afghan applications for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). The complaint highlights instances where Muller purportedly negotiated for valuable emeralds in exchange for signing off on these letters. Over the years, more than 200 of the 368 submitted applications from Muller are believed to be fraudulent, containing false information about the applicants’ affiliations with U.S. government projects in Afghanistan, which are crucial for SIV eligibility.
