VZCZCXRO2348
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0760/01 2891307
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161307Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1403
INFO RUEHPNH/NVC PORTSMOUTH 0294
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 1208
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MONROVIA 000760 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP, DHS FOR CIS/FDNS 
DEPT FOR AF/W FOR NOLE GAREY 
ECOWAS POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS 
FRANKFURT FOR RCO RONALD S PACKOWITZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC LI
SUBJECT:  FRAUD SUMMARY - LIBERIA, MARCH - AUGUST 2009 
 
REF: A) 08 STATE 074840 
REF: B) 09 MONROVIA 648 
REF: C) 09 MONROVIA 609 
 
(U) Post's fraud summary for March - August 2009 follows according 
to REFTEL: 
 
¶A. (U) COUNTRY CONDITIONS: 
 
Not much has changed since the last fraud summary as far as the 
conditions in Liberia are concerned.  Poverty is the norm and civil 
society is slowly being rebuilt.  It will be many years before life 
returns to any semblance of normal as defined by American standards. 
 In the meantime, finding a way to the get to the United States is a 
Liberian national sport practiced by all layers of society, 
including even the most fortunate. 
 
This report covers the highlights of a reporting period in which 
Post's ability to investigate fraud was essentially shut down by the 
loss of investigative staff and the transfer of the section chief. 
 
 
 
¶B. (U) NIV FRAUD: 
 
NIV fraud continues: most applicants are standard unqualified 
travelers refused 214(b); however five (5) applicants were refused 
212(a)(6)(c) from March to August, including one A2 applicant. 
 
Applicants continue to submit all manner of fraudulent letters of 
invitation, bank statements, and employment documentation. Post also 
receives poison pen letters on a regular basis.  The subject of the 
majority of poison pen letters regard crimes committed during the 
civil war. Allegations of murder, rape, and theft are common in 
these letters, which are entered as "L" lookouts in Independent Name 
Check System (INK). 
 
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) ADIS (Arrival and 
Departure Information System) tool has been helpful in investigating 
overstays and SEVIS violations.  Post notes, however, some records 
are incomplete (e.g. departures have not been recorded). 
Additionally, the facial recognition and IDENT tools continue to 
enable Officers to identify applicants applying with different 
names, nationalities, and dates of birth from the time/s of their 
last application/s. 
 
Post remains concerned about the use of A and G visas by the 
Government of Liberia (GOL) as a conduit for unqualified travelers 
to enter the United States.  Suspicions will be either confirmed or 
denied soon as Post receives raw data for a validation study, which 
includes A and G travelers, among others, during the 2008 fiscal 
year.  By calling travelers from the validation study whose 
departure records are incomplete (i.e. no departure is recorded in 
ADIS), Post has already uncovered two Liberian legislators whose 
family members are still living in the United States.  One 
legislator's office proudly told a staff member the Representative's 
children were attending public school in Rhode Island.  Results of 
the validation study will be reported by SEPTEL. 
 
In addition this reporting period, two Liberian legislators who had 
been issued nonimmigrant visas were involved in the importation of 
stolen vehicle/s from the United States.  One vehicle was confirmed 
stolen by NCIC database records; RSO is currently working with an 
ICE stolen vehicle task force to return the vehicle to the United 
States as well as identify those involved in the apparent stolen 
vehicle ring between the United States and Liberia.  The stolen 
vehicle remains at the Port of Monrovia.  One of the two legislators 
involved already had a 6(c) ineligibility, but traveled on an A 
category visa and, therefore, was not subject to it. 
 
¶C. (U) IV FRAUD: 
 
During this reporting period, 80 family based petitions were 
returned to the National Visa Center with a recommendation for 
revocation - of these petitions, 17 were based on DNA test results. 
Over half, or 43 cases, returned were marriage or fianc/e visa 
cases.  Relationship fraud is rampant since genuine marriage and 
divorce documents can be procured with relative ease, even in the 
absence of the American citizen petitioner/spouse. 
 
Lack of secondary evidence is the overwhelming reason for 221(g) 
refusals.  Conveniently, proof of bona fide relationships is often 
claimed to be "missing" due to the "war," a "fire," or a "robber." 
While this is likely the situation in some cases, it is certainly 
not true across the board, as applicants would have Officers 
 
MONROVIA 00000760  002 OF 004 
 
 
believe.  Accurint, CCD, split interviews, and DNA tests are relied 
upon heavily in order to authenticate claimed relationships. 
 
¶D. (U) DV FRAUD: 
 
DV fraud continues unabated.  Post continues to see pop-up and 
clip-on spouses and children as well as imposters.  Fraudulent high 
school diplomas and West African Examination Council (WAEC) 
certificates are the most common reason for 5(A) refusals. 
 
This reporting period, when confirming a genuine looking WAEC 
certificate with appropriate gender and school code check digits, a 
Vice Consul, working with the Director of the WAEC office, found 
that the information inside the genuine certificate was fraudulent. 
This confirms that someone inside the WAEC office, with the ability 
to enter record information and with access to the production of the 
certificates, is manufacturing genuine certificates with falsified 
information, most likely for remuneration.  When looking up the 
applicant in question's record, the WAEC Office Director found that 
the applicant had actually failed the exam.  The certificate 
submitted with the DV application showed that the applicant had 
passed all subjects.  Previously a fair gauge of whether or not a DV 
applicant had completed secondary school (since low quality, easily 
manufactured diplomas are not), even WAEC exam results are no longer 
trustworthy.  A more in depth investigation into the source of the 
genuine WAEC certificates with falsified information is being 
planned with the RSO and Liberia National Police (LNP). 
 
The WAEC Director gave the investigating Vice Consul copies of all 
nine WAEC secondary subject exams.  While this gesture of good faith 
has been helpful in scrutinizing applicants who claimed to have 
taken and passed the exam, it does little to rectify the complete 
lack of integrity in the WAEC documentation process. 
 
¶E. (U) ACS AND U.S. PASSPORT FRAUD: 
 
Teens claiming to be American citizens without any documentation of 
their citizenship are still a concern.  Both last and this reporting 
period there were two cases (for a total of four).  To date, through 
PIERS, Accurint, and thorough interviewing, none have actually been 
found to be citizens. 
 
Also, during the visa adjudication process, Officers continue to 
discover that Liberians previously residing in the United States 
(under TPS, DED, or sometimes, even, illegally) were able to work by 
falsely claiming to be United States citizens.  If Delayed Enforced 
Departure (DED) eventually comes to a close for Liberians, findings 
of false claims to U.S. citizenship will rise in the adjudication of 
passport and visa applications. 
 
¶F. (U) ADOPTION FRAUD: 
 
The GOL's moratorium on inter-country adoptions remained in place 
this reporting period.  The new Child Protection Act, which calls 
for the institution of modern adoption regulations, has yet to be 
ratified. 
 
In examining backlogged adoption cases, Post noted some 
irregularities in nearly completed case files, including GOL 
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare case studies issued after 
court decrees (vice before) and birth certificates issued with the 
biological parents' names (vice adoptive parents, as required by the 
current Liberian adoption law).  Post will report by SEPTEL an 
overview of Liberian inter-country adoption processing, including 
fraud issues. 
 
¶G. (U) USE OF DNA TESTING: 
 
DNA testing continues to be used in all categories of IV and some 
CRBA adjudication.  All testing is performed by a panel physician 
and monitored by Post's EFM consular associate per the updated 
guidance.  A considerable number of cases eventually go to TERM 1 
after DNA testing is suggested, indicating petitioners have filed a 
petition on behalf of a parent or child who is not their biological 
relative.  While post receives a number of DNA results where the 
petitioner is excluded (see IV Fraud), many do not bother to go 
through the expensive, and sometimes time consuming, process since 
they already know the likely outcome. 
 
¶H. (U) ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFITS FRAUD: 
 
"Lost" and "stolen" green cards are reported at a steady rate.  The 
most common passengers denied boarding at Roberts International 
Airport (RIA) are imposters presenting green cards.  Brussels 
Airlines' local security company, ESM, previously sent Post airport 
 
MONROVIA 00000760  003 OF 004 
 
 
turnaround reports, however since their suspension (see Section I, 
below) Post has stopped receiving said information. 
 
Post processes V92 and V93; age and relationship fraud are regular 
occurrences in these cases.  Additionally, underlying claims for 
asylum are often found to be questionable or inaccurate by 
processing Officers.  While processing Officers are not authorized 
to re-adjudicate the petitions, in one recent case where the 
underlying claim to asylum was quite clearly fabricated, Post sent 
DHS by telegram information that highlighted the inaccuracies in the 
underlying asylum claim.  Again, this is rarely done, since Post 
processes on behalf of DHS and does not adjudicate these claims, but 
when a case is particularly egregious, Post will provide additional 
information as warranted to DHS. 
 
¶I. (SBU) ALIEN SMUGGLING, TRAFFICKING, ORGANIZED CRIME, AND 
TERRORIST TRAVEL: 
 
As reported in REF C, the removal of two mala fide Pakistanis from a 
Brussels Airlines flight to Brussels by airline officials, and the 
GOL's subsequent investigation, has brought to light a well 
developed smuggling operation using the Roberts International 
Airport (RIA) VIP Lounge as a way to avoid normal security screening 
checks.  The ring was recycling stolen U.S. passports to purchase 
airline tickets for unqualified travelers.  Members of the Liberian 
Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN), the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs Office of Protocol, an expeditor for Firestone 
Rubber Plantation, and one member of Brussels Airlines' local 
security company ESM are under investigation for their collusion in 
operating a smuggling ring.  As reported in REF C, GOL officials 
have yet to return the passports in question to the Embassy.  All of 
those involved in the ring, including organizers, beneficiaries and 
local government facilitators have been entered as P6E hits. 
 
Post has nothing to report on organized crime and terrorist travel 
for the reporting period. 
 
¶J. (SBU) DHS CRIMINAL FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS: 
 
ICE dispatched an evidence team to Liberia to investigate an 
American citizen for violations of the US Protect Act. 
 
¶K. (U) HOST COUNTRY PASSPORT, IDENTITY DOCUMENTS, AND CIVIL 
REGISTRY: 
 
As outlined in Post's two previous semi-annual summaries, without 
secondary evidence, Liberian civil documents are never considered 
prima facie evidence of the information contained therein. 
 
In one case this reporting period, the Ministry of Health and Social 
Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a 
Nigerian imposter submitted a fraudulent Liberian birth certificate 
and an altered passport, respectively, in conjunction with his 
immigrant visa application.  Even though the documents submitted 
were fraudulent and fraudulently altered, the Ministry of Health and 
Social Welfare then issued the imposter a genuine Liberian birth 
certificate without further investigation and counter to the Vice 
Consul's warnings that all other members of the imposter's family 
are Nigerian and that he had demonstrated no ties to Liberia during 
his visa interview.  With the genuine birth certificate, the 
imposter can now apply for a genuine Liberian passport, calling into 
question (yet again) the integrity of even genuine Liberian 
documents. 
 
In order to help build the capacity of the Liberian Passport and 
Visa Office, one of Post's Vice Consuls conducted two training 
sessions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Liberian passport 
adjudicators and other Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization 
(BIN) employees on imposter detection and interview techniques.  The 
Liberian Director of Passports has requested more training at Post's 
convenience citing the two sessions as the only on-the-job training 
the adjudicators have received. 
 
Liberia plans to start wide-scale issuance of its biometric passport 
in early 2010.  Exemplars were sent to CA/FPP last year when they 
were originally created.  There was not funding available, however, 
for wide-scale production at that time, thus the delayed release to 
the public. 
 
¶L. (U) COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT: 
 
The Government of Liberia has been generally cooperative when Post 
requests assistance to verify documents.  However, the Court Clerk 
for the Liberian Monthly and Probate Court, at the Temple of 
Justice, refuses to let the Vice Consul see court records associated 
 
MONROVIA 00000760  004 OF 004 
 
 
with adoptions making it impossible to authenticate adoption decrees 
submitted with IR-2, 3, and 4 cases. 
 
There is almost no capacity to prosecute fraud and very little 
Liberian law enforcement interest in fraud associated with visas 
cases. 
 
¶M. (U) AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN: 
 
The poor quality of legitimate documents and the ease of acquiring 
genuine documents with fraudulent information is an ongoing concern. 
 Entrenched corruption makes seemingly routine cases problematic. 
 
¶N. (U) STAFFING AND TRAINING: 
 
As previously reported in REF B, Embassy Monrovia terminated the 
employment of LES consular fraud investigator Samuel Karn and 
Embassy driver Smitt Daweah following an investigation by the 
Regional Security Officer (RSO) into allegations of malfeasance 
against Karn. 
 
Post's lead LES retired on September 18, 2009 after eighteen (18) 
years of service to the United States government.  She received a 
Special Immigrant Visa for her years of service, including those 
during the Liberian civil war when she assisted in the evacuation of 
American citizens at significant risk to her own safety. 
 
Turnaround time on verification requests for DHS has been lengthy 
due to the month-and-a-half gap between the outgoing and incoming 
consular chiefs. 
 
Both the lead LES position and the consular fraud assistant position 
are open and have been advertised.  Post will work with CA/FPP and 
RSO on how best to use the fraud investigator considering the poor 
history Post has had with its previous two investigators.  Post 
believes that the pressure on LES in Liberia is too great to allow 
much autonomy in fraud investigations.  Unfortunately, the sight of 
an American officer in many neighborhoods would result in no or 
potentially false information provided by would-be informants during 
investigations.  RSO has also offered to help train a new consular 
fraud assistant.  During the next reporting period, one of two ARSOs 
will also assist the section with more in-depth fraud 
investigations, including the aforementioned investigation of the 
WAEC office, even though there is no formal ARSOi position at post. 
 
ROBINSON