BROWNSVILLE — A South Texas federal grand jury on Wednesday returned an indictment in opposition to three former detention heart contract workers for promoting alien detainee roster lists in trade for money.
This indictment was introduced by U.S. Legal professional John F. Bash, Western District of Texas. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Workplace of Skilled and Accountability (OPR), in shut coordination with ICE Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI), and the Division of Homeland Safety’s (DHS) Workplace of Inspector Common (OIG).
The five-count indictment was returned below seal Could 28. Federal legislation enforcement took into custody Benito Barrientez, 42, from Lyford; Damian Ortiz, 30, from Weslaco; and Exy Adelaida Gomez, 42, from Los Fresnos, Texas.
Barrientez and Ortiz have been employed on the Willacy County Regional Detention Heart as a classification clerk and a senior program director, respectively. Gomez was a corrections officer on the El Valle Detention Center. Each services are in Raymondville, Texas. All three people are going through costs associated to conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery.
The indictment alleges Barrientez, Ortiz and Gomez obtained alien detainee roster lists from the EL Valle Detention Heart and the Port Isabel Service Processing Center whereas employed of their respective capacities.
The roster lists contained the names, dates of beginning, nation of origin and different info of alien detainees on the detention services, in keeping with the costs. The three people allegedly supplied the lists to an area lawyer in trade for cash. The indictment alleges the lawyer then used that info to try to solicit these detainees to rent his agency for authorized assist in opposition to immigration removing proceedings.
If convicted, every defendant faces as much as 15 years in federal jail for the bribery cost, and as much as 5 years for conspiracy. Every cost additionally carries a doable $250,000 most effective.
Assistant U.S. Legal professional Oscar Ponce, Western District of Texas, prosecuted this case.
