LOMÉ, TOGO — A security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Lomé physically pushed Retired Army Sgt. Kelvin Blas away from the building on November 11 and threatened that he would not be allowed on embassy premises in the future, according to the stranded veteran’s account.
A visitor to the embassy — not staff — objected to how the guard was handling the American citizen.
Blas, who has been stranded in Togo since March 2020 without his passport, arrived at the embassy around 3:18 PM seeking assistance. Security guard Abdulai Majeed stopped him and asked if he had an appointment.
When Blas stated he was an American who needed to see the Ambassador, the guard went inside to consult with embassy personnel. After approximately 20 minutes, Majeed returned with a message from the Ambassador’s secretary: “Kelvin is not welcome here and should leave.”
The guard then began physically pushing Blas to force him to leave.
Susan Williams, a visitor at the embassy, intervened and told the guard: “Stop handling him like that.”
Four people witnessed the incident. Williams was the only person to object to the treatment, other people who were present said nothing.
After remaining at the embassy for over an hour under pressure to leave, Blas departed voluntarily. Before he left, the security guard told him: “Next time you won’t even have the chance to come to the premises of the embassy.”
THE BACKGROUND
This was Blas’s 15th documented attempt to seek consular assistance at the embassy. For more than five years, U.S. officials have characterized his case as a “romance scam” and used this allegation to justify limiting or denying services — despite his 13 years of military service and verified U.S. citizenship.
The pattern of denial began in March 2020 when Blas first sought help at the embassy. According to Blas, then-Ambassador Eric W. Stromayer told him “Americans aren’t Black” and threatened to have security escort him out. Stromayer served as Ambassador to Togo from 2019 to 2022.
Following Stromayer’s tenure, For more than five years, State Department personnel have continued denying assistance. Some officials have relied on the unsubstantiated ‘romance scam’ allegation to justify limitations or refusals. No official has provided evidence to support the scam claim or explained what investigation was conducted.
The officials who have characterized Blas as a scam victim include:
– Brian Sells, Consular Section Chief at Embassy Lomé
– Daniel Neptune, Acting Consular Chief at Embassy Lomé
– Carlos A. Hernandez, Office of Overseas Citizens Services in Washington, D.C.
– William “Bill” Torrance, Country Officer providing coverage for the Togo desk
THE INVESTIGATION
True Signal Media is filing Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain:
– CCTV footage from the November 11 incident
– Communications showing who authorized declaring Blas “not welcome”
– The basis for the five-year “romance scam” allegation
– Records of all 15 attempts to seek assistance
– Evidence (or lack thereof) supporting the treatment of this American veteran
– Records identifying the staff member(s) who instructed security to deny Kelvin entry
– Communications from the Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, or their staff regarding restrictions on Blas’s access to the embassy
The requests include legal demands for document preservation, requiring agencies to refrain from destroying or altering responsive records.
THE QUESTIONS
How can a U.S. embassy declare an American citizen “not welcome” at his own embassy?
Under what authority can security threaten to ban a citizen from seeking consular assistance?
Why has no one provided evidence for an allegation that has justified five years of abandonment?
True Signal Media will continue reporting as records are obtained and this investigation develops.
**Editor’s Note:** The founder of True Signal Media also founded Covenant for Forgotten Warriors, which advocates for Kelvin Blas. This article is based on documented accounts and witness statements. We welcome responses from any officials named.
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