The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below information yesterday:
PHILADELPHIA – United States
Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Christian Dunbar, 40, of
Philadelphia, PA, the current Philadelphia City Treasurer, was arrested this
morning and charged by Criminal Complaint with embezzlement by a bank employee,
conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and fraudulent procurement of citizenship.
U.S. Attorney McSwain detailed the charges at a press conference this afternoon
in front of the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse in Philadelphia.
As the
Philadelphia City Treasurer, Dunbar’s responsibilities include: (1) managing
the City’s debt obligations, which includes overseeing the issuance of the
City’s municipal bonds; (2) managing the City’s bank accounts, including its
operating account, capital account, and petty cash accounts in various
departments; (3) paying the City’s bills, including making payments to vendors,
cutting payroll checks, and making payments to pension plans; and (4) managing
the City’s cash reserves.
According
to the Criminal Complaint, Dunbar allegedly participated in two schemes – (1)
bank embezzlement and (2) marriage fraud in order to become a U.S. citizen.
The
details of the alleged bank embezzlement scheme are as follows: Just weeks
before his appointment to serve as the City’s Deputy Treasurer, Dunbar, while
employed at Wells Fargo Bank in Newtown Square, stole $15,000 from two
different bank customers. The Complaint alleges that on two separate occasions,
once in December 2015 and again in January 2016, Victim #1 met with the
defendant to transfer $5,000 between Victim #1’s Wells Fargo bank accounts.
During both meetings, Dunbar allegedly directed Victim #1 to sign several
documents, including a blank withdrawal slip. He later allegedly used the blank
slips to withdraw cash from Victim #1’s account and deposit those funds into
his own personal bank account.
The
defendant allegedly used the same trick with Victim #2. In December 2015,
Dunbar assisted Victim #2 in the same Wells Fargo branch and directed Victim #2
to sign several documents, including a blank withdrawal slip. As alleged in the
Criminal Complaint, he later used the blank withdrawal slip to withdraw money
from Victim #2’s account. Soon thereafter, Dunbar allegedly made significant
cash deposits into his personal bank account.
Dunbar
also allegedly participated in a conspiracy to enter into a sham marriage in
order to secure immigration benefits, and ultimately U.S. citizenship, for
himself and his family. The details of that alleged fraud are as follows: The
Criminal Complaint alleges that the defendant and his current wife, identified
in the Complaint by the initials “F.N.D.,” both entered into fraudulent
marriages, Dunbar with Person #1 and his wife with Person #2. Prior to these
sham marriages, Persons #1 and #2 were U.S. citizens, but Dunbar and F.N.D.
were not – having been born in Liberia and Senegal, respectively. By marrying
U.S. citizens, Dunbar and F.N.D. were able to gain their own U.S. citizenship.
These
four individuals – Christian Dunbar, F.N.D., and Persons #1 and #2 – attended
Temple University together and allegedly coordinated this sham marriage plan.
Both of these sham marriages occurred within days of each other in December
2006 and were performed by the same officiant — a former Temple University
professor. But since the time they attended Temple University together, Dunbar
and F.N.D. were the only legitimate couple, marrying each other in Senegal in
June 2013 (while Dunbar was still legally married to Person #1). On their
child’s 2014 birth records, Dunbar is listed as the father, F.N.D. is listed as
the mother, and they are listed as married to each other.
But in
February 2012, relying on his sham marriage to Person #1, the defendant
allegedly applied to become a permanent resident of the United States (which he
certified as true under the penalty of perjury), was granted that status in October
2012, and then submitted additional paperwork to become a naturalized citizen
in late 2015 and early 2016. As detailed in the Complaint, in paperwork he
submitted in 2015 and in subsequent interviews, he continued to make fraudulent
claims about his marital status, which was the basis for his becoming a
naturalized citizen in January 2016. Two months later, he filed paperwork to
divorce Person #1.
“The
alleged conduct in this case shows a pattern of deception, dishonesty and
criminality that no individual should ever engage in – but is especially
alarming and intolerable for a high ranking City official,” said U.S. Attorney
McSwain. “City officials whose job is to handle money should not be thieves.
And they should not have a track record of engaging in elaborate immigration
fraud against the public that they are supposed to serve. My Office will
continue to hold public officials to the high standard of conduct that
residents of this City deserve. And when we find that a public official’s
behavior falls short, we will hold them accountable.”
“The
accusations against Christian Dunbar run quite the criminal gamut, from
stealing his own bank customers’ money to violating the immigration laws that
help protect our national security,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in
Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. “In his role as City Treasurer,
Dunbar holds a position of public trust, making these charges lodged against
him today extremely disturbing. The FBI is working every day to battle public
corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people’s faith in government. We
must hold public officials to high ethical standards — and we will hold them to obeying federal law.”
If
convicted, Dunbar faces a maximum possible sentence of 45 years’ imprisonment and
a fine of $1.5 million.
The
case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being
prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise S. Wolf.
An
indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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