California Border Patrol Agent Gets 2 Years for Smuggling Illegal Immigrants
Posted: July 16th, 2007 10:52 AM EDT

City News Service



A former Border Patrol agent who was overheard on wiretaps making arrangements to smuggle more than 100 illegal immigrants at a time into the United States was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison.

Eric Balderas Jr., 27, pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2005, to conspiracy to smuggle aliens.

According to court documents, Balderas admitted that he conspired with another Border Patrol agent to smuggle immigrants into the United States through the agents' area of responsibility at the international border east of the Tecate Port of Entry while they were on duty.

"As a United States Border Patrol agent, Mr. Balderas was entrusted with securing the international border," said U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt. "Instead of faithfully executing that responsibility, he abused the public trust for his own personal financial gain. Corruption within law enforcement has a profound and detrimental impact on the public's faith in its many hard- working and honest public servants."

Balderas and others were intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps talking about smuggling aliens into the United States in April and May 2005.

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