Immigration Officer Accused of Sex Demand
A former immigration officer in Santa Ana has been arrested, accused of ordering a 29-year-old Vietnamese woman to have sex with him in exchange for approving her U.S. citizenship, officials said Wednesday.
Eddie Romualdo Miranda, 60, of Fontana was booked at the Santa Ana City Jail late Tuesday, police said. He was released after posting $100,000 bail.
Miranda, who worked as a district adjudications officer for six months, was responsible for interviewing immigrants to determine their eligibility for permanent citizenship, said Sharon Rummery, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security.
On Jan. 20, he interviewed the woman, whose name was not released, then ordered her to meet him at a nearby parking structure or he would deny her application, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo.
“They met at his car, where he groped the woman and asked for oral copulation,” Carrillo said. “The victim refused and left and came to report the incident to us.”
Miranda’s arrest capped a two-month investigation.
He resigned Feb. 20 and faces charges of attempted oral copulation and sexual battery under the color of authority, Carrillo said.
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