A D.C. National Guard member who entered a bigamous marriage with an illegal Mongolian immigrant pleaded guilty Tuesday to a fraud scheme aimed at keeping her in the U.S.
Maj. Collin Welch, 40, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty to unlawfully inducing aliens to enter and remain in the U.S. and to stealing around $54,000 in government money, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said.
In 2019, during a posting at the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia, Welch started a relationship with the woman, unnamed by federal prosecutors.
He fabricated documents to convince her he had gotten a divorce, married her in Mongolia in 2022 despite still being married, and brought her and her daughter to the U.S. on a tourist visa before marrying her again in 2024 despite still being married to his first wife, federal prosecutors said.
After the visas expired, Welch fabricated a series of documents to convince the Mongolian that she was on the path to citizenship.
The fake documents, which were never filed with the government, included Social Security cards, approvals for permanent residency and a letter to claim health benefits as a military dependent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Welch also housed and provided monetary support to the mother and daughter, submitting fake hotel bills, rental car receipts and travel vouchers as fraudulent purchases on a government travel card.
As part of the guilty plea, Welch agreed to forfeit $54,000. He’s due for sentencing on Dec. 3.
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