Leonard Darnell George accepted bribes to allow undocumented migrants and illegal drugs to cross the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Friday for accepting bribes to facilitate the crossing of undocumented migrants and illegal drugs at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, federal prosecutors announced.
U.S. District Judge Todd Robinson issued the sentence after a jury convicted Leonard Darnell George, 42, earlier this year on charges of receiving bribes as a public official, conspiring to import methamphetamine, and two counts of conspiring to bring undocumented migrants into the U.S.
George joined CBP in 2018 after working for CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
“Public corruption, as seen in this case, is a betrayal of trust that undermines the very principles of law enforcement and erodes public confidence in those held to a higher standard,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, in a news release.
In a sentencing memo filed last week, George’s attorney, Antonio Yoon, argued that his client—a U.S. Navy veteran and married father of four—did not know or control the amount or purity of the drugs being smuggled. “As the Bible teaches us, justice must be tempered with mercy,” Yoon stated.
However, the court rejected Yoon’s argument that a 10-year sentence would be sufficient.
Federal prosecutors told the jury that George began his criminal activities after meeting two smugglers at Hong Kong Gentleman’s Club, a Tijuana strip club known for prostitution, in the fall of 2021.
In exchange for cash, George informed the smugglers of his work schedule and the lane he was assigned to at the vehicle crossing from Mexico into the U.S., prosecutors said.
A plea deal from one of George’s co-defendants revealed that the smugglers would send four or five vehicles loaded with drugs or undocumented migrants through George’s lane during each of his shifts. The co-defendant estimated that about 300 undocumented migrants entered the U.S. through George’s lane.
Prosecutors said George, known as “The Goalie” among traffickers, earned between $300,000 and $400,000 by allowing traffickers to cross the border at least 19 times between October 2021 and June 2022.
George used the bribe money to purchase vehicles, motorcycles, and jewelry. During regular visits to the Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club, he spent about $5,000 per trip and was seen “showering” money over the club’s dancers, prosecutors said.
During the trial, prosecutors showed a photo of one of the traffickers wearing George’s CBP uniform jacket to demonstrate his connection to the criminal operation. They also presented text messages and audio recordings between George’s wife and a high-level member of the drug-trafficking group discussing payments to her husband.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune
