Last week, Jose Rosalio Fuentes, 58, of Nogales, Arizona, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by United States District Court Judge Rosemary Marquez. Fuentes previously pleaded guilty to Bribery of a Public Official.
In early 2018, Fuentes, then a CBP officer assigned to canine duty at the Nogales Port of Entry, agreed to allow an illegal alien into the United States in exchange for a $6,000 cash bribe. Fuentes knew the alien was a convicted felon, and proposed that the alien enter the United States through the port of entry during Fuentes’ shift. Surveillance footage shows Fuentes, on-duty and in uniform, pretending to swipe the alien’s identification at the port of entry, and then waiving the alien through the pedestrian gate and into the United States. Fuentes later met up with the alien and another individual to receive the $6,000 cash bribe.
In addition to 30 months in prison, Fuentes is required to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $6,000 fine. Fuentes is also prohibited from holding a position of trust with the United States in the future.
The Southern Arizona Corruption Task Force, which is composed of members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General, Immigration and Custom Enforcement-Office of Professional Responsibility, Customs and Border Protection-Office of Professional Responsibility, Tucson Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, conducted the investigation in this case. The Public Integrity Section of the United States Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution.
