Daniel Neptune
Former Acting Consular Chief, U.S. Embassy Lomé, Togo (Late 2020) | Former Peace Corps Volunteer | Currently Supervisory Passport Specialist, Los Angeles
Note: Daniel Neptune’s LinkedIn profile documents his overseas consular service. His specific role as Acting Consular Chief in late 2020 is subject to verification via FOIA for embassy organizational records.
Key Facts: Daniel Neptune
- Position in Late 2020: Acting Consular Chief, U.S. Embassy Lomé, Togo (September-December 2020)
- Critical Timing: Assumed acting role shortly after Brian Sells created “romance scam” determination
- His Failure: First official with authority to review and reverse Sells’s flawed determination—didn’t
- Peace Corps Background: Volunteer in Burkina Faso (2010-2012) – Micro Agro-business & Environment Development Agent
- Community Service: Led entrepreneurship, health, gender equality trainings; HIV/AIDS prevention; malaria campaigns; community nutrition
- Languages: Bilingual French/English (no language barrier excuse in West Africa)
- Education: BS Information Systems/IT (Mercer University)
- Career Track: Passport/Visa Examiner Washington DC (2013-2018); Attaché/Vice Consul overseas (2018-2024); Current: Supervisory Passport Specialist, LA Passport Agency
- Impact: Rubber-stamped Sells’s determination instead of investigating; solidified bureaucratic justification used by all subsequent officials
- Legacy: From serving vulnerable communities in Burkina Faso to abandoning a veteran in Togo
The First Chance to Fix It—Squandered
In late 2020—just months after Consular Section Chief Brian Sells designated Sgt. Kelvin Blas as a “romance scam” based on grammar errors—Daniel Neptune assumed the role of Acting Consular Chief at U.S. Embassy Lomé.
Neptune was the first official with consular authority who could have reviewed Sells’s determination, questioned its basis, and corrected a flawed bureaucratic decision before it became institutional truth.
He didn’t.
Instead, Neptune—a former Peace Corps volunteer who had spent two years in Burkina Faso working with vulnerable communities on entrepreneurship, health, and gender equality—rubber-stamped the abandonment and allowed Sells’s determination to stand without investigation.
By the time Neptune left the acting role, the “romance scam” designation was no longer one official’s bad call. It was now “confirmed” by multiple consular officers, making it nearly impossible for subsequent officials to reverse.
Daniel Neptune had the chance to stop the pattern. He chose bureaucratic convenience instead.
The Peace Corps Volunteer Who Forgot the Mission
Before joining the Foreign Service, Daniel Neptune served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso from 2010 to 2012. His role was Micro Agro-business and Environment Development Agent—a position focused on helping vulnerable communities build economic sustainability and improve quality of life.
What Neptune Did in Burkina Faso:
- Entrepreneurship training – Taught community members business skills and economic development
- Health education – Led trainings on public health, sanitation, and disease prevention
- Gender equality programs – Worked to empower women and address inequality
- HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns – Organized grassroots outreach to combat epidemic
- Malaria prevention – Led community workshops on mosquito nets and prevention
- Community nutrition initiatives – Addressed food security and nutritional health
- Peace Corps volunteer development – Trained other volunteers and local staff
This is the work of someone committed to serving vulnerable populations, helping people in crisis, and building capacity in West African communities.
The Peace Corps Mission vs. Neptune’s Consular Practice
The Peace Corps mission emphasizes three core goals:
- Help people of interested countries meet their need for trained workers
- Promote understanding of Americans among the people served
- Promote understanding of other peoples among Americans
Daniel Neptune spent two years in West Africa embodying these principles. He worked with communities in crisis. He built trust across cultural and linguistic barriers. He demonstrated American commitment to helping vulnerable populations.
Then, as Acting Consular Chief in Togo—just one country away from where he had served—Neptune encountered an American veteran in crisis seeking the help his own government is supposed to provide.
Neptune chose bureaucratic convenience over investigation. He maintained a determination based on grammar analysis rather than applying the community-centered, help-first approach he had practiced in Burkina Faso.
The Peace Corps values he embodied for vulnerable Burkinabè communities apparently didn’t extend to an American veteran in distress.
The Bilingual Officer with No Language Barrier Excuse
Daniel Neptune is bilingual in French and English with professional proficiency. This is significant because it eliminates one of the common excuses used to justify inadequate consular investigations in francophone Africa.
What Bilingual Competence Should Have Enabled:
- Direct communication with Blas in English
- Verification through Togolese authorities in French
- Consultation with Blas’s local attorney in French
- Review of local documentation without translation barriers
- Understanding of cultural context in West African francophone environment
Neptune had Peace Corps experience in neighboring Burkina Faso, also a francophone West African country. He understood the regional context. He spoke both languages. He had personal experience working across the cultural divide.
He had every tool needed to investigate whether Sells’s determination was accurate. He chose not to use them.
The Critical Timeline: Neptune’s Moment of Authority
Understanding when Daniel Neptune served as Acting Consular Chief is critical to understanding his responsibility:
| Date/Period | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Early-Mid 2020 | Brian Sells (Consular Chief) makes “romance scam” determination | Original flawed decision based on grammar |
| March 2020 | Ambassador Stromayer allegedly tells Blas “Americans aren’t Black” | Discriminatory statement compounds service denial |
| Late 2020 (Sept-Dec) | DANIEL NEPTUNE assumes Acting Consular Chief role | FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW SELLS’S DETERMINATION |
| Late 2020 | Neptune continues “romance scam” designation without investigation | Solidifies bureaucratic justification for abandonment |
| 2021-2025 | All subsequent officials cite “existing consular determination” | Sells’s determination (now confirmed by Neptune) becomes institutional truth |
Neptune’s role was pivotal. If he had questioned Sells’s determination, investigated the actual circumstances, or provided any scrutiny, the pattern might have ended in late 2020.
Instead, by rubber-stamping it, Neptune transformed Sells’s individual failure into confirmed institutional policy.
What Neptune Should Have Done—And Didn’t
As Acting Consular Chief in late 2020, Daniel Neptune had specific responsibilities and authority that he failed to exercise:
What His Role Required:
- Review pending consular cases – Especially those with unusual service denials
- Verify determinations made by predecessor – Ensure they meet evidentiary standards
- Interview American citizens seeking services – Especially those making multiple attempts
- Coordinate with local authorities – Verify claims through appropriate channels
- Document decision-making rationale – Ensure case files reflect actual investigation
Specific Actions Neptune Could Have Taken:
- Request Blas’s military service records to verify veteran status
- Interview Blas directly to understand his situation
- Consult with Blas’s Togolese attorney (in French, removing language barriers)
- Question why “romance scam” designation was based on grammar rather than investigation
- Review the fifteen documented embassy visits and ask why services were denied each time
- Coordinate with Department of Veterans Affairs to verify Blas’s military service
- Provide at minimum emergency consular services pending investigation
Neptune did none of these things. He accepted Sells’s determination at face value and moved on, allowing the abandonment to continue.
Professional Background and Career Timeline
| Position | Location/Organization | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Supervisory Passport Specialist | Los Angeles Passport Agency | August 2024 – Present |
| Attaché / Vice Consul | U.S. Embassy Lomé (Togo) & Conakry (Guinea) | April 2018 – August 2024 |
| Acting Consular Chief | U.S. Embassy Lomé, Togo | Late 2020 (Sept-Dec, estimated) |
| Passport/Visa Examiner | Department of State, Washington DC | 2013 – 2018 |
| Peace Corps Volunteer | Burkina Faso (Micro Agro-business & Environment) | 2010 – 2012 |
| Assistant System Manager | Royal Caribbean International | 2009 – 2010 |
| Support Center Analyst | Coca-Cola Enterprises | 2008 – 2009 |
Technical Skills
- Information Systems and IT infrastructure
- Dreamweaver, HTML, Adobe Photoshop
- Cisco network systems, UNIX environments
- Passport adjudication and fraud detection
- Consular operations and American citizen services
Languages
- English (native)
- French (professional proficiency)
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Information Systems/Information Technology – Mercer University
The Current Role: Supervisory Passport Specialist
As of August 2024, Daniel Neptune serves as Supervisory Passport Specialist at the Los Angeles Passport Agency—a position that involves oversight of passport operations, adjudications, and fraud prevention.
This role requires:
- Verifying identity and citizenship claims
- Detecting fraudulent applications
- Supervising passport specialists
- Ensuring compliance with federal regulations
- Maintaining accuracy and integrity of passport issuance
The irony: Neptune now supervises fraud detection in passport operations, yet when he had consular authority overseas, he failed to investigate whether a “romance scam” determination was actually fraudulent—he just accepted it.
The Questions Daniel Neptune Must Answer
Although Daniel Neptune no longer serves in an overseas consular role, he remains accountable for his failure to review and correct Brian Sells’s flawed determination in late 2020:
- When you assumed the Acting Consular Chief role in late 2020, did you review pending American citizen services cases? Was the Kelvin Blas case part of your review?
- Did you examine Brian Sells’s determination that Blas was a “romance scam”? If yes, what investigation did you conduct to verify it? If no, why not?
- As a former Peace Corps volunteer with community service experience, did you apply any of those principles to Blas’s case? Why or why not?
- As a bilingual French/English speaker with West Africa experience, did you use those skills to investigate Blas’s situation? Did you contact his Togolese attorney?
- Did you personally interview Kelvin Blas during your time as Acting Consular Chief? If no, why not?
- Did you request verification of Blas’s military service record? Did you coordinate with the Department of Veterans Affairs?
- What documentation did you review before deciding to maintain the “romance scam” designation? Can you provide evidence of your investigation?
- As someone who trained others on ethics and community service in Burkina Faso, how do you reconcile that background with failing to serve an American citizen in crisis?
- Now that you supervise fraud detection operations, do you believe Sells’s grammar-based determination met appropriate investigative standards?
- Knowing that your decision to maintain the “romance scam” designation has been used to justify five years of continued abandonment, do you believe you made the right call?
Daniel Neptune was the first checkpoint where Sells’s bad determination could have been caught and corrected. He failed that responsibility, and every day of abandonment since late 2020 flows in part from his failure to question, investigate, and act.
Documentation and Resources
Official Sources
- LinkedIn Profile – Daniel Neptune Career Timeline
- Federal payroll records document State Department employment 2015-2018 (Washington DC passport examiner role)
- Peace Corps service (Burkina Faso 2010-2012) documented in volunteer records
FOIA Targets for Verification
- Embassy Lomé organizational charts – Q4 2020, showing Acting Consular Chief designation
- CA/EX personnel records – SF-50 forms showing acting duty assignments
- Consular case files – Neptune’s review and determinations regarding Kelvin Blas case
- Management/CONS records – Temporary duty and designation-of-authority memos (Sept-Dec 2020)
Related CFW Documentation
- Brian Sells Profile – Created “Romance Scam” Determination
- Eric Stromayer Profile – “Americans Aren’t Black”
- Carlos Hernandez Profile – Pattern of Dismissal
- Elizabeth Fitzsimmons Profile – Two Years of Inaction
- Ronald E. Hawkins Jr. Profile – Created “The File”
- Richard C. Michaels Profile – Current Chargé, Violence
- Kim McClure Profile – Current DCM, Operational Authority
- Full Case Documentation: Sgt. Kelvin Blas
- TSM article | The Officials who Called him a Scam
Demand Records of the Acting Chief Period
Daniel Neptune’s service as Acting Consular Chief in late 2020 was the critical moment when Brian Sells’s flawed determination could have been caught and corrected. Records from that period must be disclosed:
What FOIA Should Reveal:
- Neptune’s designation as Acting Consular Chief (dates, authority memo)
- Case review procedures during acting chief transition
- Any documentation of Neptune’s examination of the Kelvin Blas case
- Communications between Neptune and embassy leadership about “difficult” consular cases
- Guidance Neptune provided to consular staff about handling Blas contacts
- Records showing whether Neptune interviewed Blas or contacted his attorney
Contact the State Department:
- Bureau of Consular Affairs: Oversight of consular determinations and acting chief assignments
- Office of Inspector General: Report Consular Failures
- Office of Civil Rights: Report Service Denials
A Note on Missed Opportunities
This profile documents Daniel Neptune’s service as Acting Consular Chief at U.S. Embassy Lomé in late 2020, during which he had the opportunity—and the responsibility—to review Brian Sells’s “romance scam” determination and correct it if flawed.
Neptune’s Peace Corps background, bilingual capabilities, West Africa experience, and consular authority positioned him uniquely to question whether an American veteran might actually be in crisis rather than perpetrating fraud. His failure to exercise that judgment represents a critical missed opportunity in the timeline of systematic abandonment.
The consequences of bureaucratic rubber-stamping compound over time. When officials with authority fail to question flawed determinations, those determinations become institutional truth—and reversing them becomes exponentially harder for subsequent officials.
If you are a current or former State Department employee with information about acting chief procedures, case review protocols, or Daniel Neptune’s actions in late 2020, please preserve all relevant records. You may contact CFW confidentially at [email protected].
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