National Guard major admits stealing $54,000 to hide secret second marriage

Collin Welch, a major in the National Guard, entered a guilty plea for stealing roughly $54,000 of federal money and fabricating official records to sustain a covert second marriage to a Mongolian woman and her daughter. While posted at the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar in 2019, he began the affair, later marrying the woman in Mongolia in 2022 and again in Virginia under false pretenses. Using his government travel card, he booked hotels for video calls and submitted bogus expense claims, while also forging immigration letters, Social Security cards and a Defense Department notice to convince the family they were legally in the United States.

He arranged plane tickets and housing in Northern Virginia, paying rent with counterfeit checks before the couple’s eviction. The plea agreement, signed in a Washington district court, notes his acceptance of responsibility, and sentencing is pending. His attorney, Gregory Rosen, emphasized Welch’s accountability despite the circumstances of his deployments.