visa fraud, US federal prosecutors said Friday. The arrest of Meliton Cordero follows the announcement on Thursday that the United States was closing its DEA office in the Caribbean nation over unspecified corruption claims. Cordero, 47, allegedly accepted thousands of US dollars in exchange for assisting foreign nationals with securing a US nonimmigrant visa, a statement from the US attorney's office for the District of Colombia said. "This individual was entrusted by the American people to faithfully execute his duties and represent the American government abroad as a leader within the DEA," US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in the statement.

"Instead, he is alleged to have broken the law, squandered this special trust and undercut the president's immigration priorities. This behavior by any government official is unacceptable and will not be tolerated." During his six-year assignment at the US embassy in the Dominican Republic, Cordero is alleged to have expedited at least 119 visa applications, at least one of them fraudulent, the statement said, citing charging documents. Cordero was arrested in Washington on Thursday and charged in a complaint unsealed in federal court on Friday. (Bssnews)