Customs Officer Convicted Of Taking Bribes To Cross Immigrants Into US Illegally
A former U.S. customs officer is in federal custody after a jury convicted him Wednesday of accepting thousands of dollars in bribes to let immigrants into the country illegally. Meanwhile, his wife, who was indicted on the same charges, is currently a fugitive.
Lawrence Madrid, a former supervisory officer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, went on trial Monday months after being indicted on charges of conspiracy, immigrant smuggling and bribery. His wife Odet and a woman who is in the U.S. illegally were also indicted as his co-conspirators.
A jury deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before issuing a guilty verdict on all counts against Madrid. His wife, who was also scheduled to go on trial this week, never showed up in court. The third woman entered into a plea agreement with U.S. attorneys and testified against the couple.
The three day trial included testimony from undocumented immigrants who said they paid up to $2500 dollars for Madrid to cross them through an official port of entry in El Paso. One of the immigrants was a convicted felon who had been previously deported. The scheme allegedly took place in 2010 and 2011.
The government's evidence included phone calls, money transfers and bank deposits that coincided with the dates the immigrants entered the U.S. Prosecutors highlighted a bank account belonging to Lawrence Madrid with $50,000 of "unexplained" income.
The defense argued the government never showed that Madrid withdrew the extra money and that witnesses never said they handed him any money directly. The defense also questioned the motive for the witnesses' testimony, arguing they only cooperated with the investigation in hopes of avoiding deportation.
Numerous members of Madrid's family, including his adult daughter, attended the trial.
"He's like a son to me," said Richard Jaime, Madrid's uncle. "He's never been in trouble before."
Madrid is scheduled to be sentenced in August. The U.S. Attorney's office issued an arrest warrant for his wife on Wednesday.
