A former US Border Patrol agent working at a processing center in Texas has been sentenced to 1-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to a bribery of a public official charge. Fernando Castillo, a 42-year-old former agent in El Paso, solicited a $5,000 bribe from a migrant from El Salvador and Mexico in exchange for immigration paperwork that would allow the individual to stay in the US.
Castillo made false entries in the migrant's immigration file and printed a fraudulent document. The charges of 'alien smuggling' and 'wire fraud and deprivation of right to honest services' were dismissed. Castillo entered a plea agreement in mid-January and later pleaded guilty to the bribery charge.
The investigation was initiated after the migrant reported Castillo's actions to border patrol agents. Surveillance video at a processing center showed Castillo escorting the migrant and engaging in suspicious activities. The migrant discovered missing money from their belongings after Castillo's involvement.
Investigators found evidence of Castillo modifying the migrant's immigration file and engaging in fraudulent activities. Castillo was also charged with wire fraud in connection with phone calls discussing the exchange of money for immigration papers.
Castillo denied taking the migrant's money but admitted to altering the immigration file, forging signatures, and carrying a false document to meet the victim. The court sentenced Castillo to prison, supervised release, and a special assessment.
