CBP officers charged after allegedly taking bribes to wave in illegal immigrants
Other CBP officers in the San Diego area have faced similar corruption charges in the past two years
By Jasmine Baehr Fox News
Published April 5, 2025 10:26pm EDT
Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been charged with taking bribes to let people enter the country without showing documents at America's busiest border crossing.
CBP Officers Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez worked at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and prosecutors say they let dozens of vehicles carrying illegal immigrants pass through without proper checks in exchange for thousands of dollars.
According to court documents unsealed Thursday, investigators found phone messages between the officers and human smugglers in Mexico. They also found large unexplained cash deposits in the officers’ bank accounts.
In one case caught on surveillance video, a car stopped at a checkpoint with two people inside, but only the driver was officially recorded as entering the U.S., prosecutors said.
When Almonte was arrested, investigators also allegedly seized nearly $70,000 in cash they believe his girlfriend was trying to take to Tijuana. Prosecutors say he may face more charges, including money laundering and trying to hide evidence, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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