Former border officer gets 8 months for corruption
Officer allowed wanted immigrant through
Posted: 01/18/2013
Last Updated:
125 days ago
SAN DIEGO (AP) -
A former Customs and Border Protection officer has been sentenced to eight months in prison for allowing a wanted migrant smuggler to get through his inspection lane.
Thomas Silva apologized to a federal judge in San Diego on Friday, saying he disgraced his badge when he allowed his brother-in-law and two others to enter the U.S. in a special lane for prescreened motorists. At the time, the brother-in-law was wanted for escaping a halfway house while serving time for his smuggling conviction.
The 33-year-old's sentence is also for pleading guilty to defrauding Farmers Insurance out of more than $7,000 for falsely claiming a truck that he took to Mexico had been stolen.
Silva was a border inspector since 2002. He resigned this month.
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