A human smuggling coordinator pleaded guilty to bribing a Border Patrol agent, paying him over $60,000, officials said.
On Aug. 11, Luis Alfredo Quintero-Gonzalez, 36, of Mexico, pleaded guilty for conspiracy to commit bribery and alien smuggling, a news release from the U.S. Attorneyβs Office District of Arizona said.
According to evidence gathered during the investigation, Quintero-Gonzalez paid Carlos Passapera, then a Border Patrol agent, thousands of dollars in cash bribes for smuggling undocumented noncitizens into the United States between August and December 2019, the news release said.
Quintero-Gonzalez admitted he conspired to coordinate and coordinated the illegal entry of undocumented noncitizens by acting as the middleman between Passapera and the individuals seeking entry into the United States, the news release said. While working as an agent, Passapera would receive communication from Quintero-Gonzalez, pick up the undocumented noncitizens along the U.S. Mexico border near Lukeville, smuggle them through Border Patrol checkpoints and deliver them to locations in Phoenix.
Quintero-Gonzalez and Passapera smuggled at least eight undocumented noncitizens into the United States, the news release said. Passapera received about $64,000 in bribes.
Passapera, who no longer is an agent, was charged separately and has pleaded not guilty. His jury trial is set to begin next April.
Quintero-Gonzalezβs sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25. A conviction for conspiracy to commit bribery and alien smuggling carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Belgian Malinois named Messi was being trained for the department reacted negatively to its handler, biting him on least two occasions.Β
On Friday, Pima County Search and Rescue, Tucson Fire and the Coronado National Forest performed a ladder rescue and saved 21 adults, three children and one infant at the low water crossing in Bear Canyon.
The $25 million grant will help expand the bridge from four to six lanes, feature a divided median and a separate bicycle and pedestrian bridge.
