National Guard officer forged records, stole public money for secret second marriage

Welch, 40, met the woman in 2019 while serving with the Alaska National Guard in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The affair continued after his return to Alaska in 2021 and subsequent move to Arkansas in 2022, the same year they married in Mongolia. He later moved to Washington D.C. for a role requiring foreign travel, using his government travel card to rent hotel rooms for private video calls with his second wife, concealing his family life from her.

He also submitted false reimbursement expenses and lied to superiors to obtain authorization for travel to visit the Mongolian woman. In 2024, Welch paid for plane tickets for the woman and her daughter to relocate to the United States, marrying her again in Virginia and falsely stating he had never been married. He covered their living expenses in Northern Virginia until they were evicted late last year after he attempted to pay rent with forged checks. Welch was aware the woman and her daughter had expired tourist visas but fabricated various documents, including letters from immigration authorities and Social Security cards, to deceive them about their legal status.

Welch's lawyer, Gregory Rosen, stated that Welch accepts full responsibility for his actions, emphasizing his character through this admission.