Border Patrol Corruption

In December 2021, BPA Pena pleaded guilty to attempting to aid and abet in the smuggling of cocaine. Pena was to be paid $2,000 for waiving drug loads through the Falfurrias, TX checkpoint. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, Brooks County #21CR01521)

In February 2017, BPA Luna was sentenced to 20 years in prison for assisting the cartel in smuggling of narcotics into the US and smuggling guns to Mexico. He used his position as a federal agent to assist in the smuggling. (107th District Court, Cameron County Texas, #13-17-00112-CR)

Just a year after entering on duty, BPA Macias began assisting the cartel to smuggle narcotics. Five years later, he pleaded guilty to years of taking bribes and distracting fellow agents while drugs were smuggled into the US. (US Court, District of New Mexico, #09CR00678)

SPA Villarreal was the San Diego Sector Headquarters Press Information Officer at the same time he was smuggling migrants, bribing others agents and laundering money with his brother, Supervisory BPA Fidel Villarreal. He was convicted and sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison. (US Court, Southern District of California, San Diego County, #08CR01332-JAH-1)

SPA Villarreal is BPA Raul Villarreal's brother and was charged along with him for bribery and smuggling. He received 30 years in prison. (US Court, Southern District of California, San Diego County, #08CR01332-JAH-2)

BPA Daleo was arrested in 2017 for attempting to deliver a pre-curser drug to the making of fentanyl. He was also charged with conspiracy to smuggle a protected species of sea cucumbers into the US. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2019. (US Court, Southern District of California, San Diego County, #17CR03041 and 18CR02968)

In 2012, BPA Canales was arrested for knowingly allowing load vehicles to pass through an Arizona BP checkpoint. He pleaded guilty to taking a bribe in 2013. (US Court, District of Arizona, #11CR03747) Note: 2 years prior, BPA Canales was investigated for shooting Jesus Castro Romo after whipping him with his long horse reins. The BPCITs collected the evidence improperly as usual, and Canales was not held accountable. 

BPA Tolson Jr. pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiring to smuggle undocumented migrants. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #21CR00952-1)

BPA Polanco stole drugs from dealers in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas and then sold them in Houston, Texas. He was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, 15CR00544-12)

BPA Pimentel was arrested in 2015 delivering cocaine from Tucson to Chicago. He admitted that he had been smuggling drugs using his position as a Border Patrol agent for at least a decade. He was sentenced to over 13 years in prison in 2017. (US court, District of Arizona, #15CR02236-RCC-LCK-1)

BPA Borjas pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August of 2014 to 2 years in prison for laundering money. In all, he laundered over $60,000 of drug money. He received 30% of the money he laundered for his troubles. (US Court, District of Arizona, #13CR00620-TUC-JCZ)

BPA Burke pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2013 to two years in prison for accepting a bribe for smuggling of an undocumented migrant. (US Court, District of New Mexico, #13CR00913-RB-1)

In December 2022, BPA Monreal-Rodriguez was sentenced to over 12.5 years in prison for  bribery, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics, conspiracy in connection with firearms. (US Court, District of Arizona, #18CR02215-TUC-JAS-1 & #18CR01905-TUC-JAS-1)

BPA Anaya pleaded guilty in 2013 to smuggling narcotics while on duty in a Border Patrol service vehicle. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. (US Court, District of Arizona, #12CR2056-PHX-ROS)

BPA Yanez was sentenced in 2020 to 6 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute narcotics and bribery. (US Court, District of Arizona, #19CR00923-JAS-DTF)

SBPA Duran was sentenced to 2 years in prison for abuse of authority and firearm offenses in 2018. He falsely created alerts in CBP databases to harass a man who had filed child sexual assault allegations against the agent's brother-in-law. (US Court, Southern District of California, #15CR02818 & #15CR02817)

In 2013, BPA Herrera was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing drug smugglers national security information about Border Patrol operations. (US Court, District of Arizona, #12CR00177)

BPA Michel was sentenced in 2018 to 7.5 years in prison for assisting drug smugglers while working in the Tucson Sector Intelligence Unit. (US Court, District of Arizona, #17CR01733-DCB-JR)

BPA Esquivel was sentenced in 2009 to 15 years in prison for possession with intent to sell narcotics and giving drug smugglers sensitive national security information. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #07CR01065)

In 2017, BPA Bazan was sentenced to 2 years in prison for making false statements to  officials about aiding drug smugglers with a staged seizure. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #16CR01674)

SBPA Alvarez was sentenced to 6 years for taking bribes to smuggle and help facilitate human smuggling. (US Court, Southern District of California, #06CR00466)

SBPA McClaren was sentenced to 6 years for taking bribes to smuggle and help facilitate human smuggling. (US Court, Southern District of California, #06CR00466)

BPA Ortiz was sentenced to 5 years for smuggling over 100 undocumented persons. He was also found to be undocumented himself. (US Court, Southern District of California, #05CR01436)

In 2005, SPA Gonzalez helped himself to some narcotics from a vehicle he stopped with Arizona DPS. DPS dash cam caught the agent putting drugs into his car. He then transported the drugs through the I-8 checkpoint in Pine Valley, California. (US Court, District of Arizona, #06CR00152)

BPA Franco was convicted in 2018 of stealing firearms equipment and parts from the federal government and included parts that for a machine-gun. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. (US Court, District of Arizona, #16CR00268-TUC-CKJ)

In 2018, BPA Lopez was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for narcotics smuggling and receiving bribes while on-duty and using his uniform and service vehicle to pick up drug loads. (US Court, Southern District of California, 17CR00086-DMS-1)

BPA Atondo was sentenced to 8 years in prison for smuggling narcotics while on duty in his Border Patrol service vehicle. (US Court, District of Arizona, #12CR10137)

BPA Montalvo pleaded guilty in 2013 to conspiracy to purchase firearms through straw purchases and recruited his girlfriend who was also charged. He was sentenced to over 4 years in prison. (US Court, District of New Mexico, #10CR00309)

BPA Fierros was sentenced in 2011 to 1.5 years in prison for providing a drug trafficker with sensor locations in exchange for a bribe. (US Court, District of Arizona, #09CR02405)

In 2009, BPA Sanchez was sentenced to 15 years in prison for smuggling narcotics and another 15 years for bribery while on duty in his Border Patrol service vehicle. (US Court, District of Arizona, #05CR1005-TUC-JMR)

BPA Morales was sentenced in 2009 to 14 years in prison for accepting a $9,000 bribe to help smuggle cocaine. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #.         )

In 2009, BPA Ruiz was sentenced to 14 years in prison for assisting drug smugglers and taking bribes. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #08CR01605)

In 2019, BPA Hall was sentenced to more than 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to  taking bribes and assisting drug traffickers by giving them national security information on Border Patrol operations. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #18CR00414)

BPA Olivas was sentenced in 2008 to 3 years in prison for smuggling undocumented persons. According to court documents, he was a scout for load vehicles traveling through the San Clemente checkpoint. (US Court, Southern District of California, #07CR00163-BTM-3)

In 2008, BPA Arzate pleaded guilty to taking bribes to allow narcotics to be smuggled through the checkpoint he worked at. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #06CR01853)

BPA Cruz and his wife were sentenced in 2008 to over 4 years for smuggling of undocumented migrants through the I-35 checkpoint. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #08CR00042)

BPA Pena was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing a Border Patrol service vehicle while off-duty to load and smuggle drugs. (US Courts, District of Arizona, #17CR0490-TUC-CKJ

In 2019, SBPA Myers was sentenced to 5 years of probation for making a false statement in a firearm record for dealing in firearms without a license. (US Court, District of Arizona, #17CR01222-BGM-1)

BPA Manzano was arrested in 2011 for harboring undocumented migrants in his home, to include his own father. He was sentenced to time served and probation. In 2012, his probation was revoked and he was sentenced to 8 months in prison according to court documents. (US Court, Southern District of California, #11CR00352)

BPA Zuniga was sentenced to 3 years in prison in 2013 to theft of government equipment and child pornography. (US Court, Southern District of California, #12CR03759-H)

In 2018, BPA Delgado was sentenced to 2 years in prison for lying about his connections to drug traffickers on his background. (US Court, Southern Court of San Diego, #18CR01005-LAB-1)

In 2005, BPA Balderas pleaded guilty to human smuggling. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison. (US Court, Southern District of California, #05CR01356)

BPA Higareda was sentenced to 5 years in prison after loading his Border Patrol service vehicle with 10 duffle bags of narcotics. (US Court, Southern District of California, 05CR00159)

BPA Cornejo was sentenced to 3 moths in prison for lying about his criminal record when hired and for lying about how many times he crossed into Mexico. BPA Cornejo stated the $500,000 he kept in various Mexican bank accounts was from trading money and the exchange rate. (US Court, District of Arizona, 17CR01067-CKJ-BPV)

BPA Berry was sentenced to 2 years probation for harboring an undocumented migrant for 4 years and making false statements. (US Court, District of Arizona, #05CR01185)

BPA Bemis was sentenced to 2 years probation for harboring an undocumented migrant from 2004-2005. (US Court, District of Arizona, 05CR00453-FRZ-BPV-1)

In 2011, BPA Easterbrook sold Border Patrol ammunition. He was sentenced to probation. (US Court, District of Arizona, 12CR01794-JR-1)

In 2008, BPA Huizar allowed over 100 undocumented migrants to be smuggled through a checkpoint he was working charging $350/person. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. (US Court, Western District of Texas, 08CR01224)

In 2005, BPA Aleman was sentenced to 6 months in prison for harboring his 3 nieces from Mexico. The agent stated that he was adopting his nieces, but the government won the case. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #04CR01509)

BPA Erives operated a large smuggling operation at a Border Patrol checkpoint allowing loads of undocumented persons and drugs to pass through without inspections. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #05CR00801)

BPA Velazquez pleaded guilty to smuggling narcotics and stealing drugs from seizures and selling them. He was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in prison. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #05CR00061)

BPA Molinari pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal investigators about disclosing an internal investigation. He was sentenced to 3 years probation. It is not known if he is still an agent. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #15CR01239-AM)

BPA Espino assisted BPA Erives in drug smuggling by waving a load vehicle through the checkpoint. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. (US Court, Western District of Texas, #05CR00801)

BPA Rodriguez pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #20CR01417-5)

SPA Alvarez was a canine handler when he and his brother were paid $1.5 million for allowing narcotics to be smuggled through a checkpoint Alvarez worked at. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #05CR00719)

BPA Soliz was sentenced to 3 years probation for receiving 15 Tanzanian leopard tortoises in violation of the Lacey Act. (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #09CR00282)

In 2008, BPA(T) Avina was still a trainee at the Artesia, New Mexico Border Patrol Academy when he was arrested for attempting to defraud the federal government and smuggling guns into Mexico. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to defraud the government charge in exchange for other charges being dropped. He was sentenced to 5 years of probation.  (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #08CR01426-DB-6)

In 2008, BPA(T) Avina was still a trainee at the Artesia, New Mexico Border Patrol Academy when he was arrested for attempting to defraud the federal government and smuggling guns into Mexico. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to defraud the government charge in exchange for other charges being dropped. He was sentenced to 5 years of probation.  (US Court, Southern District of Texas, #08CR01426-DB-6)