Local News in Brief : Ex-INS Clerk Arrested
A former clerk at the Santa Ana immigration office, who once boasted that he had a knack for detecting fraud, has been arrested and charged with stealing $5,000 in fees paid by people seeking amnesty, officials said Thursday.
A spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service said Michael D. Murray, 32, was charged with two counts of embezzling government funds after an investigation revealed the theft of amnesty fees from an unknown number of applicants.
Murray surrendered to Compton police Wednesday. He was released on $5,000 bond. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
Joe Flanders, an INS spokesman in Los Angeles, said Murray processed hundreds of applications from people who are seeking amnesty under the ongoing federal legalization program.
Murray, who resigned from the INS, allegedly took some of the application fees of $185 for individuals and $420 for families.
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