Former Immigration Supervisor Accepted Bribes
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/?NS_cid=24


NEW YORK, NY - Becoming a U.S. citizen is the dream of many immigrants. Along with submitting the appropriate paperwork, satisfying all the necessary requirements and paying fees, permanent residents must pass the U.S. citizenship test. Few exceptions may be made for certain individuals but do not count on these when submitting an application. Most will study for the citizenship test but some will look for an easy way out. They are willing to pay thousands of dollars to a corrupt immigration officer in order to make sure they pass the U.S. citizenship test or for other types of "facilitations." This was the case for Jimmie Ortega, a former immigration supervisor, who took bribes from permanent residents. In return, he would ensure the client a passing score on the U.S. citizenship test. The fee was up to $3,000 per individual and he shared the profits with five other individuals.

The bribes were accepted from October 2004 to April 2006. Ortega retired in spring 2006 from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigrations Services in New York. His position in the naturalization unit was supervisory district adjudications officer. Before working as an immigration officer, Ortega served in the U.S. Army for a period of 21 years. He recently admitted in court that he took in tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and is awaiting his sentence. The other five co-defendants have already pleaded guilty to unlawfully procuring