William “Bill” Torrance
Country Officer, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services (2024–Present) | 16+ Years Foreign Service | American Citizen Services Expert
Official Contact Information: Email: [email protected] | Teams Phone: 771-207-7789 (per official State Department correspondence, June 2025)
Key Facts: William “Bill” Torrance
- Current Position: Country Officer, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, American Citizens Services and Crisis Management (July 2024–Present)
- Portfolio: Botswana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Togo Coverage: In June/July 2025, filling in for regular Togo Country Officer who was on leave—TEMPORARILY RESPONSIBLE for Togo
- Temporary Authority: Had acting authority to review cases, direct embassy actions, question determinations—chose dismissal instead
- Location: Washington, D.C. (State Department headquarters, 7,000 miles from Togo)
- Critical Action: June/July 2025—Dismissed Sgt. Kelvin Blas case as “just a scam” via email correspondence
- Timing Significance: Same period when Chargé Richard Michaels inherited “The File” from Ronald Hawkins (June 17, 2025)
- Coordination: Same timeframe Carlos Hernandez (Consul General) claimed to have spoken with advocate (no record exists)
- Experience: 16+ years Foreign Service; Former ACS Unit Chief (Jamaica); Consular Chief (Montenegro, Pakistan); NIV Chief (Brazil)
- Guantanamo Bay Service: Led American Citizen Services outreach to U.S. military families at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay
- Languages: English (native), Spanish (full professional), Serbian/Montenegrin (professional)
- Education: BS Political Science/Criminal Justice (Northern Arizona University)
- Current Status: ACTIVELY SERVING in Bureau of Consular Affairs headquarters
The Acting Authority Who Rubber-Stamped Abandonment
In June/July 2025—just days or weeks after Chargé d’Affaires Richard C. Michaels inherited “The File” from his predecessor at Embassy Lomé—William “Bill” Torrance, a Country Officer at State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., dismissed the Kelvin Blas case as “just a scam” in email correspondence.
Torrance wasn’t in Togo. He wasn’t the Consular Chief who made the original determination. He wasn’t the embassy official who denied services or physically assaulted Blas.
But in June/July 2025, he was temporarily THE responsible headquarters official for Togo—filling in for the regular Country Officer who was on leave.
This means Torrance had temporary authority to review “The File,” question the five-year pattern of abandonment, direct Embassy Lomé to provide services, and correct Brian Sells’s flawed 2020 determination.
Instead, from his desk in Washington DC—7,000 miles from Togo—he dismissed an Army veteran’s five-year crisis with “just a scam” and moved on.
Like Daniel Neptune rubber-stamping Brian Sells’s bad determination as Acting Consular Chief in Lomé, Bill Torrance rubber-stamped the entire institutional abandonment as acting Country Officer in Washington.
When acting officials with temporary authority consistently choose bureaucratic convenience over investigation, the pattern isn’t accidental—it’s institutional.
The Critical Timing: June/July 2025
Understanding when Bill Torrance dismissed the Kelvin Blas case is essential to understanding the coordination between headquarters and the field:
| Date | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2024 | Ronald Hawkins becomes Chargé, begins creating “The File” | Institutionalization of abandonment begins |
| 2024 | Captain Burleson contacts Hawkins to badmouth Blas | Character assassination becomes part of “The File” |
| June 17, 2025 | Richard Michaels becomes Chargé, receives “The File” | Leadership transition, institutional knowledge transferred |
| June/July 2025 | BILL TORRANCE emails advocate dismissing case as “just a scam” | HEADQUARTERS: Acting Country Officer for Togo dismisses case |
| June/July 2025 | NO contact between advocate and Carlos Hernandez (no record exists) | Carlos later falsely claims this conversation occurred |
| September 29, 2025 | CFW files FOIA seeking “The File” | Transparency request threatens to expose coordination |
| Mid-October 2025 | Carlos Hernandez sends letter FALSELY claiming he spoke with advocate in June/July | Fabricated documentation to create paper trail of “engagement” |
| November 11, 2025 | Physical assault on Veterans Day | Abandonment escalates to violence |
The pattern is clear: Right when new leadership (Michaels) inherited “The File” from old leadership (Hawkins), Washington headquarters weighed in to confirm the abandonment should continue. Torrance’s email wasn’t random—it was part of coordinated messaging between the field and headquarters.
The Coordination Question
In June/July 2025, TWO things happened within the same timeframe:
- Bill Torrance (Washington HQ) dismissed the case as “scam” via email
- Carlos Hernandez (Consul General in Lomé) claimed he had spoken with the advocate—but no record of that conversation exists
Questions that demand answers:
- Did Torrance consult with Embassy Lomé before dismissing the case?
- Did he coordinate with Carlos Hernandez or other consular officials?
- Did he review “The File” that Michaels had just inherited?
- Was his email part of a coordinated response to advocacy pressure?
- Why would a Country Officer whose portfolio doesn’t include Togo weigh in on a Togo case?
When headquarters and field officials start giving the same dismissive responses at the same time, that’s not coincidence—that’s coordination.
The American Citizen Services Expert Who Failed American Citizens
Bill Torrance’s career has been built on American Citizen Services—helping U.S. citizens abroad. His dismissal of the Kelvin Blas case is particularly egregious given his expertise and background:
His ACS Background:
- ACS Unit Chief, U.S. Embassy Kingston, Jamaica – Directly responsible for providing services to American citizens in distress
- ACS Outreach, U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay – Led consular services for U.S. military personnel, family members, and contractors
- Country Officer, CA/OCS/ACS & Crisis Management – Current role specifically focused on overseas citizen services and crisis response
- 16+ years consular experience – Multiple posts handling American citizen emergencies
At Guantanamo Bay, Torrance facilitated:
- Passport applications for service members and families
- Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for children of military personnel
- Emergency services for Americans stationed at a sensitive military installation
Bill Torrance provided consular services to military families at Guantanamo Bay. But when an Army veteran stranded in Togo sought services, Torrance dismissed him as “just a scam” without investigation.
Apparently military families matter when they’re at a U.S. naval base. Veterans don’t matter when they’re abandoned in Africa.
The Acting Authority: Temporarily Responsible for Togo
As Country Officer for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Bill Torrance has a specific portfolio of countries he supports:
Torrance’s Official Portfolio:
- Botswana
- Ethiopia
- Eritrea
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Notice what’s missing? TOGO.
Togo is not in Torrance’s permanent portfolio. It falls under a different Country Officer’s responsibilities within the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
The Acting Authority: Temporarily Responsible for Togo
As Country Officer for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Bill Torrance has a specific portfolio of countries he supports:
Torrance’s Official Portfolio:
- Botswana
- Ethiopia
- Eritrea
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Notice what’s missing? TOGO.
Togo is not in Torrance’s permanent portfolio. It falls under a different Country Officer’s responsibilities within the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
But in June/July 2025: Temporary Responsibility
When Bill Torrance responded to inquiries about the Kelvin Blas case in June/July 2025, he was filling in for the regular Country Officer responsible for Togo, who was out on leave.
This means Torrance wasn’t just weighing in from outside the chain of responsibility. He was temporarily THE responsible headquarters official for Togo.
What this temporary authority meant:
- Torrance had acting responsibility for all Togo consular cases
- He was the point of contact between headquarters and Embassy Lomé
- He had authority to review “The File” and question determinations
- He could have directed Embassy Lomé to provide services
- Instead, he dismissed the case as “just a scam” via email
- Then he handed it back to the regular officer with his dismissal in the record
Like Daniel Neptune rubber-stamping Brian Sells’s determination as Acting Consular Chief in Lomé, Bill Torrance rubber-stamped the entire institutional abandonment as acting Country Officer in Washington.
The Coordination—And Fabrication—Question
In June/July 2025, TWO things happened—but only ONE was real:
What Actually Happened:
- Bill Torrance (Washington HQ) exchanged emails with Covenant for Forgotten Warriors, dismissing the case as “just a scam”
What Carlos Hernandez Later CLAIMED Happened:
- Carlos Hernandez (Consul General in Lomé) in mid-October 2025 sent correspondence claiming he had spoken with the advocate back in June/July
The problem: There is no record of any conversation with Carlos Hernandez in June/July 2025 because no such conversation occurred.
The advocate has documented email correspondence with Bill Torrance during that period. There is NO record of contact with Carlos Hernandez—because Carlos never made contact.
Carlos Hernandez FABRICATED documentation claiming he had engaged with advocacy efforts when in reality only Bill Torrance (temporarily covering Togo from DC) had responded.
Critical questions this raises:
- Did Torrance coordinate with Carlos before or after dismissing the case?
- Did Torrance tell Carlos about the email exchange, prompting Carlos to falsely claim it was his own conversation?
- Was this coordinated creation of false paper trail to document “engagement” that didn’t happen at embassy level?
- Why would Carlos claim a conversation that never occurred unless he was trying to create institutional cover?
- Did both officials coordinate to make it appear multiple levels of review occurred when only Torrance dismissed it via email?
When officials fabricate records of engagement, it’s not just unprofessional—it suggests coordinated deception to create false documentation of due diligence.
What Torrance Should Have Done—And Didn’t
As a Country Officer in the Bureau of Consular Affairs with 16+ years of ACS experience, Bill Torrance had specific professional obligations when asked about the Kelvin Blas case:
What His Role Required:
- Review case documentation before making dismissive statements
- Verify the “romance scam” determination that originated with Brian Sells in 2020
- Question why a veteran had visited the embassy fifteen times without receiving services
- Investigate why nine visits with a local attorney didn’t trigger serious review
- Coordinate with assigned Country Officer for Togo before responding
- Apply ACS crisis management expertise to assess if an American was in genuine distress
What Torrance Actually Did:
- Dismissed the case as “just a scam” via email
- Provided no evidence of investigation or review
- Offered no verification of the underlying “romance scam” determination
- Made no attempt to explain fifteen unsuccessful embassy visits
- Gave no indication he had reviewed actual case files
An ACS expert with crisis management responsibilities dismissed an American veteran’s five-year crisis with a one-line email. No investigation. No review. No services.
Professional Background and Career Timeline
| Position | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Country Officer | Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, ACS & Crisis Management (Washington, DC) | July 2024 – Present |
| Non-Immigrant Visa Chief | U.S. Embassy Brasília, Brazil | June 2018 – August 2024 |
| ACS Unit Chief | U.S. Embassy Kingston, Jamaica (including Guantanamo Bay outreach) | Circa 2021-2022 (featured in State Magazine Jan 2022) |
| Consular Section Chief / ACS Officer | U.S. Consulate Lahore, Pakistan | September 2016 – August 2024 |
| Consular Section Chief | U.S. Embassy Podgorica, Montenegro | August 2014 – August 2016 |
| Political Military Affairs Officer | U.S. Embassy Bogotá, Colombia | July 2011 – August 2013 |
| Vice Consul | Consular Section, Department of State | May 2008 – May 2011 |
Notable Experience
- Guantanamo Bay ACS Operations: Led consular outreach to U.S. Naval Station, providing passport and birth documentation services to military personnel and families
- Crisis Management: Current portfolio includes conflict zones (Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia/Eritrea)
- Consular Leadership: Multiple tours as Section Chief managing NIV, ACS, and fraud prevention
- Budget/Staff Management: Oversaw $500K annual budget and multi-national teams
Languages
- English (native)
- Spanish (full professional proficiency)
- Serbian and Montenegrin (professional proficiency)
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Criminal Justice – Northern Arizona University (2001-2005)
Additional Roles
- Collateral Duty EEO Counselor
The Questions Bill Torrance Must Answer
William Torrance is currently serving at State Department headquarters in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. These questions demand answers NOW:
- What specific documentation did you review before dismissing the Kelvin Blas case as “just a scam” in June/July 2025?
- Did you coordinate with Embassy Lomé consular staff before responding? If yes, who? If no, why dismiss a case outside your portfolio without coordination?
- You were filling in for the regular Togo Country Officer who was on leave. Did this give you temporary authority and responsibility for Togo cases? If yes, did you treat that responsibility seriously by investigating before dismissing?
- As the temporarily responsible headquarters official, did you review “The File” created by Ronald Hawkins? Did you see Captain Burleson’s character assassination? Did you verify any of those claims?
- Why did you weigh in on a Togo case when your portfolio covers different African countries? Who assigned you to respond?
- Did your June/July 2025 response coordinate with Carlos Hernandez, who claimed to have spoken with the advocate during the same period?
- Why did Carlos Hernandez falsely claim in mid-October 2025 that HE had spoken with the advocate in June/July, when the documented correspondence was with YOU? Did you tell Carlos about your email exchange? Did you coordinate to create false documentation?
- As an ACS expert who provided services to military families at Guantanamo Bay, why didn’t you apply the same service ethic to an Army veteran?
- Did you verify Blas’s military service record before calling him a scam? Did you coordinate with Department of Veterans Affairs?
- Were you aware that Blas had visited the embassy fifteen times, nine with a local attorney? Does that fit the pattern of a typical romance scam?
- As a professional with 16+ years of consular experience, do you believe dismissing a case via email without investigation meets your professional standards?
- Your email response came just weeks after Chargé Michaels inherited “The File” and months before the Veterans Day assault. Do you feel any responsibility for providing headquarters-level cover for field abandonment that escalated to violence?
Bill Torrance represents something more insidious than field-level failure: He represents headquarters endorsement of abandonment. When Washington backs the field’s worst decisions, American citizens have nowhere to turn.
Documentation and Resources
Official Sources
- State Magazine – January 2022 Feature on ACS at Guantanamo Bay (Names Bill Torrance as ACS Unit Chief)
- LinkedIn Profile – Career Timeline (Self-Reported)
- State Department Key Officers roster lists Torrance as CON at U.S. Embassy Podgorica (2015 edition)
- Email correspondence: [email protected] (per official State Department email signature, June 2025)
Related CFW Documentation
- Carlos Hernandez Profile – Consul General Who Dismissed Case (Same Timeframe)
- Ronald E. Hawkins Jr. Profile – Created “The File”
- Richard C. Michaels Profile – Inherited “The File” June 2025
- Brian Sells Profile – Original “Romance Scam” Determination
- Daniel Neptune Profile – First Chance to Reverse It
- Elizabeth Fitzsimmons Profile – Two Years of Inaction
- Eric Stromayer Profile – “Americans Aren’t Black”
- Kim McClure Profile – Current DCM, Operational Authority
- Full Case Documentation: Sgt. Kelvin Blas
FOIA Targets
- CA/OCS/ACS correspondence: All emails and communications from Bill Torrance regarding the Kelvin Blas case (June-July 2025)
- Coordination records: Communications between Torrance and Embassy Lomé consular staff
- Portfolio assignments: Documentation showing why Torrance weighed in on case outside his assigned countries
- Headquarters guidance: Any CA/OCS directives or talking points about the Blas case
Demand Accountability from Bureau of Consular Affairs
Bill Torrance’s dismissal of the Kelvin Blas case reveals that the abandonment had headquarters-level approval and coordination. This wasn’t just Embassy Lomé going rogue—this was Washington backing the field.
Contact the Bureau of Consular Affairs:
- Bureau of Consular Affairs Main: (202) 647-4000
- Office of Overseas Citizens Services: Report inadequate ACS
- Office of Inspector General: Report Headquarters Coordination of Service Denials
- Office of Civil Rights: Report Discriminatory Practices
Contact Your Representatives:
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee – Oversight of State Department operations
- House Foreign Affairs Committee – Consular services oversight
- Your U.S. Senators and Representative
Report Similar Cases:
A Note on Headquarters Accountability
This profile documents William “Bill” Torrance’s involvement as a Bureau of Consular Affairs headquarters official who dismissed the Kelvin Blas case in June/July 2025. His intervention reveals that the systematic abandonment of an American veteran had approval and coordination at the Washington headquarters level—not just at the embassy in Lomé.
Torrance’s dismissal came at a critical moment: just weeks after new embassy leadership (Chargé Michaels) inherited “The File” from the previous leadership (Chargé Hawkins). The timing suggests coordinated messaging between headquarters and field to ensure the abandonment would continue under new management.
When Bureau of Consular Affairs officials—whose job is to OVERSEE and IMPROVE consular services globally—instead provide bureaucratic cover for abandonment, American citizens lose their last line of defense. Headquarters should be the safeguard. In this case, it was the enforcer.
If you are a current or former State Department employee with information about headquarters coordination on the Blas case, communications between CA/OCS and Embassy Lomé in summer 2025, or similar cases of headquarters backing field abandonment, please preserve all relevant records. You may contact CFW confidentially at .
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