Washington, Apr 3: A former US diplomat has been charged for allegedly concealing his financial dealings with Chinese nationals, the Justice Department said in a press release.
“Paul Michael Guertin, 40, of Arizona and former resident of Washington, DC, was indicted on March 29, 2021 by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for wire fraud and obstructing an official proceeding,” the release said on Friday. “According to the indictment, Guertin intentionally concealed information on his SF-86 background investigation questionnaires and in interviews with State Department background investigators.”
The release said Guertin withheld information about his gambling debts, his $225,000 loan from two Chinese nationals, and his sexual relationship with a Chinese national who he helped adjudicate her US visa application when he was working as a consular officer in Shanghai.
Guertin has worked as a diplomat in Shanghai and Islamabad in addition to working for the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the release said.
The release said Guetin held a top secret security clearance.
(agencies)
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