Atlanta man pleads guilty to bribing immigration officers

July 26, 2013
By Bryan Cronan

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta man pleaded guilty Friday to paying thousands of dollars to an immigration officer to gain immigration benefits.

Ibrahim Barrie, 32, of Atlanta paid bribes to an undercover agent with the Department of Homeland Security between September 2010 and July 2012, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said.

Barrie, a citizen of Sierra Leone, paid thousands of dollars to an undercover agent with the Department of Homeland Security in order to gain release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and a green card, according to a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“This defendant attempted to subvert the immigration process by offering bribes to a federal agent whom he believed would help him,” Yates said. “In the end, he faces significant jail time and likely deportation for his actions.”

Barrie will be sentenced Sept. 30. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $75,000 fine, according to Yates.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/a...ation-o/nY5N7/