2 US Border Patrol officers are charged with taking bribes to wave in people without documents

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two U.S. borderline inspectors successful Southern California person been charged with taking thousands of dollars successful bribes to let radical to participate the state done the nation's busiest larboard of introduction without showing documents, prosecutors said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez were assigned to migration inspection booths astatine the San Ysidro Port of Entry. They were charged aft investigators recovered telephone grounds showing they had exchanged messages with quality traffickers successful Mexico and discovered unexplained currency deposits into their slope accounts, according to a transgression ailment unsealed Thursday.

Surveillance video showed astatine slightest 1 lawsuit successful which a conveyance with a operator and a rider stopped astatine a checkpoint but lone the operator was documented arsenic having entered the country, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the officers waved dozens of vehicles carrying radical without documents. They said some men were paid thousands for each conveyance they waved through.

It wasn't instantly known if Almonte has an lawyer who tin talk connected his behalf. The National Border Patrol Council, the national representing Border Patrol officers, didn't instantly instrumentality an email seeking comment.

Rodriguez’s attorney, Michael Hawkins, said the lawsuit was inactive successful the “infant stages” and that Rodriguez has the presumption of innocence.

"We look guardant to moving done the existent situation,” Hawkins said successful an email successful which helium described Rodriguez arsenic hardworking and loyal.

The probe connected Almonte and Rodriguez started aft 3 migrant smugglers who were arrested past twelvemonth told national investigators they had been moving with U.S. borderline inspectors, national prosecutors said.

While Almonte was successful custody, investigators allegedly seized astir $70,000 successful currency they judge his romanticist spouse was trying to determination to Tijuana. Prosecutors wrote successful a tribunal filing that Almonte is perchance facing further charges for wealth laundering and obstruction of justice, The San Diego Union Tribune reported.

“Any Customs and Border Protection cause who immunodeficiency oregon turns a unsighted oculus to smugglers bringing undocumented immigrants into the U.S. is betraying their oath and endangering our nationalist security,” Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden told the paper successful a statement.

There person been 5 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the San Diego country to look akin corruption charges successful the past 2 years.

Last year, erstwhile U.S. borderline inspector Leonard Darnell George was sentenced to 23 years successful situation for taking bribes to let radical and drug-laden vehicles to participate the state done the San Ysidro borderline crossing. Two different erstwhile borderline officers astatine the Otay Mesa and Tecate ports of introduction were charged past twelvemonth with akin charges. They are expected to spell connected proceedings this summer.