Ex-Officer Pleads Guilty in Smuggling Scheme
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer pleaded guilty Thursday to allowing hundreds of illegal immigrants to pass through his inspection lane at the San Ysidro Port of Entry as part of a two-year smuggling scheme.
Richard Elizalda, 55, admitted to one count of accepting bribes from a public official and two counts of bringing illegal immigrants into the country for financial gain. He faces a potential three- to 15-year prison term.
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