US Customs & Border Protection officer sentenced for accepting bribes to smuggle migrants
The headline of this article was updated to correct the name of the agency where the officer worked.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to taking a bribe to allow migrants to cross the border at an El Paso international bridge, federal prosecutors said Monday.
A smuggling group paid $4,000 to CBP Officer Omar Moreno for each person that he allowed to cross into the U.S. from Mexico at the Ysleta port of entry at the Zaragoza Bridge in El Paso, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said.
A guide in the smuggling ring told federal investigators that he worked with Moreno to illegally cross an estimated 30 people into the U.S., with Moreno earning as much as $120,000 in the scheme, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.
As part of a plea deal, U.S. District Judge David Briones sentenced Moreno, 46, of Horizon City, Texas, to 51 months in federal prison after Moreno pleaded guilty to one count each of bribery of a public official and bringing in noncitizens for financial gain, court documents stated.
"He tarnished the badge that so many others proudly wear and uphold their oath," FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge John Morales said in a statement, adding that Moreno violated his oath to serve and protect and undermined the public's trust in law enforcement.
Human smuggling, corruption and undercover officers
The investigation started in December 2022 when two migrants told federal agents that they had paid $16,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. via the Ysleta port of entry with the help of a CBP office. They said an officer allowed them to enter without inspection after they gave him a code word, the criminal complaint stated.
Later, a confidential informant in a smuggling ring told investigators that a foot guide — a person who escorts migrants across the border — was coordinating with Moreno to smuggle persons through the port for several months, the complaint stated.
On Feb. 1, 2024, a video recording showed Moreno escorting two "undocumented non-citizens," or UNCs, without inspection at the Ysleta border crossing, documents stated.
On Feb. 23, 2024, federal agents had Moreno under surveillance since the moment he left his El Paso-area home in his CBP uniform and drove to work at the Zaragoza Bridge, the complaint stated. The informant set up a deal with Moreno to help two migrants cross into the U.S. Unbeknown to Moreno, the migrants were undercover officers.
Daniel Borunda is a reporter with the El Paso Times, part of the Paste BN Network. He can be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.