An Afghan citizen has been sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to visa fraud involving applications for a U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Dilbar Gul Dilbar, also known as Dilbar Gul Taj Ali Khan, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. to visa fraud and was sentenced to six months in prison, according to the Justice Department.
According to court records and prosecutors, Dilbar paid another person in November 2017 to prepare and submit an Afghan SIV application on his behalf. He knew that a false approval letter purportedly issued by the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had been included in the application, but nevertheless affirmed that the submitted evidence was accurate.
In October 2021, Dilbar paid another individual to prepare and submit a second SIV application. Prosecutors said he again certified the information as accurate despite knowing there was a high probability that at least one representation in the application was false.
The fraudulent representations resulted in Dilbar receiving an SIV in April 2024, entering the United States and later obtaining lawful permanent resident status. The original federal case was filed in 2025 after investigators alleged that his applications contained fraudulent immigration documents.
Reports identified Dilbar as a former Afghan interpreter who had worked with U.S. forces during the war. He brought his family to Rochester after entering the United States in 2024, and reporting based on court documents says he now faces possible removal following his conviction.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, according to the Justice Department.
The case highlights the scrutiny surrounding Afghanistan’s Special Immigrant Visa program, which provides a limited number of visas to eligible Afghans who assisted the U.S. government or military and faced threats because of that work.
