National Guard Major Pleads Guilty in Immigration Fraud, $54K Theft Case to Support Secret Family

A Major in the D.C. National Guard has pleaded guilty to federal charges after prosecutors said he married a second woman while still legally married to his wife, then used a government travel card to pay for the woman and her daughter’s living and travel expenses.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, announced in a press release on Tuesday, July 28, that Collin L. Welch, 40, of Arlington, Virginia, entered guilty pleas in the U.S. District Court to unlawfully inducing aliens to enter and remain in the United States and to theft of government money.

Per the press release, Welch previously served in the Alaska and D.C. National Guard, with deployments to Afghanistan and Djibouti. While posted to the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 2019, he began a relationship with a Mongolian national despite already being married. According to court documents, Welch fabricated a divorce decree to convince the woman he was no longer married, then wed her in Mongolia in 2022 — all while still legally married to his wife.

In 2024, Welch brought the Mongolian woman and her minor daughter to the U.S. on tourist visas, then married the woman a second time that October in Virginia, again while still legally married, per the release.

After the visas expired in early 2025, Welch continued housing and financially supporting the pair. When the woman asked about her immigration status, he fabricated a series of documents, including fake permanent residency approvals, Social Security cards and a letter falsely claiming military dependent health benefits, none of which were ever filed with any government agency, according to prosecutors.

Separately, Welch used his government travel card to submit fraudulent travel vouchers and fabricated receipts for hotel stays and rental cars that never occurred. Prosecutors said he also used the card without authorization to fund personal travel and to pay for the woman and her daughter’s living and travel expenses, resulting in about $54,000 in unauthorized charges to the United States, according to the press release.

Welch’s sentencing is scheduled for December, 3, 2026.