Agencies

WASHINGTON, Mar 1: An Indian American jewellery executive and a former Toronto-based US diplomat have pleaded guilty to trading gemstone rings, trips with exotic dancers and other gifts in exchange for expedited work visas.

According to court papers, Sunil Agrawal, the chief executive officer of New York-based STS Jewels, gave presents to Mike O’Keefe, who was the deputy non-immigrant visa chief at the US consulate in Toronto. In return, O’Keefe personally fast-tracked applications for STS.

Agrawal worked out a deal that allowed him to plead guilty to the misdemeanour charge of illegal supplementation of salary, which his lawyer said he hopes will not threaten Agrawal’s immigration status in the US. The charge carries up to a one-year prison sentence and a $100,000 fine.

O’Keefe pleaded guilty to accepting an illegal gratuity, a felony that carries up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Both men were indicted on Wednesday charged for bribery and conspiracy by a federal grand jury in Washington in the court of US Judge Paul Friedman. They pleaded guilty to lesser offences that carry much shorter maximum prison terms.