Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent indicted for accepting bribes

Posted: Oct 30, 2009 05:49 PM CDT

Updated: Oct 30, 2009 06:52 PM CDT





Written by: Brian Pryor

TUCSON, Ariz. - A four-count federal indictment was unsealed today against former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Yamilkar Fierros, of Tucson, for allegedly accepting bribes.

Fierros was arrested without incident by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday, October 30, 2009, and made his initial appearance at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Glenda E. Edmonds.

The indictment alleges that on September 30, 2009, Fierros accepted a $1,000 payment in return for providing a purported drug trafficker with a law enforcement sensitive map of San Rafael Valley, which reflects roads, trails, landmarks, and terminology used by Border Patrol to counter drug traffickers.

The indictment further alleges that on October 2, 2009, Fierros accepted a $3,000 payment in return for providing a purported drug trafficker with a list of 109 sensor locations in the Sonoita, Ariz. area.

Fierros is also charged with accepted a $1,000 payment on October 23, 2009, in return for providing a purported drug trafficker with a list of 65 new sensor locations in the Sonoita area, as well as a $500 payment in return for agreeing to assist in the safe passage of a narcotics load from Patagonia, Ariz. to Tucson.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, and unsealed today, charges Fierros with four counts of Bribery. If convicted, each count carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt.

An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.


The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Southern Arizona Corruption Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by Eric Markovich, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

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