Thread: Former deportation officer accused of extorting immigrants for cash, sex (update)

Former deportation officer accused of extorting immigrants for cash, sex — impregnating one victim — indicted on bribery charges

BY GINGER ADAMS OTIS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, February 23, 2016, 1:30 PM
Arnaldo Echevarria (not pictured), a former deportation officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been indicted for extorting seven undocumented immigrants for cash or sex.

A federal deportation officer accused of extorting seven undocumented immigrants for cash or sex — impregnating one — has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New Jersey.

Arnaldo Echevarria, 38, a former deportation officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allegedly promised undocumented immigrants working papers and other protection as long as they gave him what he wanted, officials said.

He also concealed from ICE employers that he hired an undocumented immigrant to work at a hair salon he owned — and forced two of the women he was shaking down to have sex with him, getting one pregnant, according the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

A federal grand jury indicted Echevarria Monday with seven counts of accepting bribes, one count of harboring an undocumented immigrant and one count of making false statements to immigration authorities.

Between 2012 and 2014, Echevarria agreed to obtain employment authorization documents for approximately seven undocumented immigrants in the U.S. illegally, authorities said.

In return, Echevarria demanded and received approximately $78,000 in cash bribes.

The ICE agent hid his illicit activity by telling officials the seven immigrants had been granted temporary protected status, which allows some undocumented people to lawfully stay in the U.S.

None of the individuals who were bribed by Echevarria had actually applied for or been granted temporary protected status, officials said.

Echevarria also allegedly demanded sex from two women, one of whom became pregnant with his child.
He encouraged her to have an abortion, officials said.

But the woman delivered the child, and Echevarria told her that no one could find out that he was the child’s father, according to authorities.

He continued to have sex with her after their baby was born in exchange for his help with her authorization papers, New Jersey prosecutors said.

Echevarria also employed his undocumented girlfriend at his West Orange hair salon, authorities said.
The ICE agent allegedly knew his girlfriend used an alias to enter the U.S. illegally.

He paid the employees in cash and never asked them to fill out employment eligibility paperwork, according to prosecutors.

The seven bribery counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges of harboring and making false statements are each punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.2541169

By ANNA GIARITELLI • 3/10/17 5:49 PM

A former federal deportation officer was convicted in court on Thursday for accepting cash bribes and sex in exchange for providing employment authorization documents as well as secretly employing an illegal alien at a hair salon he ran on the side, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Newark federal court trial lasted one week and the jury deliberated for one day before convicting Arnaldo Echevarria on six bribery charges, each of which carries a maximum of 15 years in prison and $250,000 fines. He was also convicted of making false statements and harboring an illegal alien, which each carry up to five years in prison.

Echevarria, 39, had worked for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, where he identified, located, arrested and removed illegal immigrants in the U.S. Some illegal aliens are permitted to work in the U.S. leading up to their deportation. As the supervisor of those waiting to be removed from the country, Echevarria took advantage of his position from 2012 to 2014 and offered to request one-year work documents for people slated to be deported in return for bribes. The Somerset, N.J., resident collected approximately $75,000 in bribes and demanded sex from one person.

The federal immigration agent lied about the legal status of those whose forms he filled out, writing that they had been granted temporary protected status, a classification for those who came to the U.S. following an environmental disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary condition.

The jury also found Echevarria to be guilty of employing his girlfriend, an illegal immigrant who stole the identity of a Puerto Rican resident, at his hair salon in West Orange, N.J. He opened the salon in December 2012 after receiving permission from ICE and assuring the agency that it would not conflict with his other duties. Echevarria hired his then-girlfriend to manage the salon. Her name was not disclosed, but she used the identity of an individual in Puerto Rico to obtain a Pennsylvania identification card.

Echevarria also signed his name on her apartment lease and utility bills so the paper trail would not create any questions for federal agents monitoring him. He paid all of his employees in cash, allowing them to get around employment eligibility paperwork.

"This investigation of a former ICE employee underscores our commitment to aggressively identify, investigate and [pursue] all allegations of corruption to ensure the protection our borders and maintain the integrity of the agency. This verdict sends a strong message that those who exploit their positions and our nation's legal immigration system will be held accountable and face severe consequences," Keith Barwick, special agent in charge of ICE OPR Northeast Region, said in a statement.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 19. ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility investigated the incidents.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/fo...ticle/2617085#!

He should never see another free day.