HOUSTONFBI Four people, including a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer, have been arrested on charges that they paid money to lift immigration detainers on inmates detained at the Harris County Jail, according to Houston and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The indictment was disclosed during the initial appearances of Leopoldo Perrault Benitez, 53, Anthony Benitez, 32, Isaac Sierra, 51, and Jose Angel Muniz, 51, of Houston, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray. They were placed under arrest pending more criminal charges.
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The indictment was returned on June 24 by a federal grand jury. It claims that A Way Out Bail Bonds in Houston was owned by Leopoldo Benitez. According to the accusations, Sierra worked at International Bonding Company, and his son, Anthony Benitez, was an employee. According to reports, Muniz worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) as a deportation officer.
According to the allegations, Muniz was paid by the three bail bondsmen between April 2023 and March 2024 to remove immigration detainers on illegal aliens who were in ICE custody pending removal.
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All four could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined $250,000 or the amount of the bribes given and received, whichever is more, if found guilty.
According to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, the Southern District of Texas takes accusations of corruption by federal personnel very seriously, especially those tasked with protecting our nation and border. When it comes to immigration enforcement, bribery and side deals have absolutely no place.
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