Thread: U.S. customs inspector gets prison for Mexico border corrupt

U.S. customs inspector gets prison for Mexico border corruption

By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer
Monday, March 26, 2007
(03-26) 10:55 PDT SAN DIEGO


A border inspector who pleaded guilty to accepting cash bribes and luxury cars in exchange for allowing smugglers to sneak hundreds of illegal immigrants from Mexico into the United States was sentenced Monday to 57 months in prison.


Richard Elizalda, who had already paid a $20,000 fine, also was sentenced to three years' probation.


"I know that I did something wrong," Elizalda told the court, his voice breaking. "I let my family down and I let the United States down — the people of the United States — and I'm sorry."


U.S. District Court Judge Larry A. Burns chastised Elizalda, a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.


"This is a terrible thing that you did," Burns said. "You're one of the gatekeepers of the safety and security of the United States and you abdicated that role."


Elizalda worked at the world's busiest border crossing, the San Ysidro Port of Entry between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego.


He was arrested in June after a two-year investigation by the Border Corruption Task Force, a multi-agency team that probes claims against officers at border crossings in California.


Investigators said they placed wiretaps on Elizalda's phones after receiving tips that he was involved in suspicious activities. According to federal prosecutors, Elizalda sent text messages directing drivers to his inspection lane at the San Ysidro border crossing and then waved them through.


In return, Elizalda received as much as $1,000 for each immigrant, taking as much as $120,000 in cash from smugglers starting in 2004. Agents seized $36,170 in cash from Elizalda's home, along with a 2000 Lexus and a 2005 BMW given to him by the ringleaders of the smuggling ring.


In September, Elizalda pleaded guilty to one count of accepting bribes as a public official and two counts of bringing illegal aliens into the country for financial gain.


Customs and Border Protection has seen a number of corruption cases recently.


Last month, an inspector at another San Diego border crossing was sentenced to five years in federal prison for passing hundreds of illegal immigrants through his checkpoint booth in exchange for taking at least $70,000 from a smuggling ring.



http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... 530D57.DTL

57 months for taking bribes for smugglers???

yet BP shoots a drug runner in the asscheek and they get 11 and 12 years???

WTH"?