TOPSHOT - Members of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unit inspect the trunk of a vehicle bearing an illegal immigrant 27 January 2006 in San Ysidro, CA. CBP officials recently announced the seizure of over 127 tons of narcotics and the interception of more than 75 000 immigration violators at the Southern California ports of entry in the year 2005, an increase of 24 percent over the previous year's drug seizures. San Ysidro is considered one of the busiest points of entry into the US, with an estiamate 35,000 pedestrians and 55 000 cars crossing the border evryday. (Photo by HECTOR MATA / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – A third U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in San Diego has been indicted in a widening federal investigation into border corruption, accused of helping undocumented migrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
The officer, Kairy Stephania Quiñonez, 31, of Imperial Beach, was charged this week, joining two other CBP officers — Farlis Almonte, 38, of San Diego, and Ricardo Rodriguez, 34, of Tijuana — who were indicted earlier this month for allegedly facilitating illegal border crossings in exchange for bribes.
According to a grand jury indictment, the officers allegedly provided advance notice to co-conspirators about their work schedules and inspection lane assignments to ensure that vehicles carrying undocumented individuals could pass through undetected. Between August 2023 and January 2024, the scheme allegedly involved “dozens of cars.”
The defendants are also accused of falsifying records in the Transportation Enforcement Communications System (TECS), the CBP’s internal database, misreporting the number of passengers in certain vehicles to hide the presence of undocumented migrants.
Almonte and Rodriguez face additional charges for accepting bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye to illegal crossings. According to the indictment, both officers received thousands of dollars per vehicle waved through. Phone records revealed communication with human smugglers in Mexico, and investigators uncovered unexplained cash deposits in their bank accounts.
While in custody, authorities discovered that Almonte was connected to nearly $70,000 in cash allegedly being moved to Tijuana by his romantic partner. Prosecutors say Almonte could also face money laundering and obstruction of justice charges as the investigation progresses.
Quiñonez has not been charged with accepting bribes, but he has been accused of knowingly participating in the smuggling operation.
“This conduct is a betrayal of duty and a threat to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden, adding that the government will aggressively pursue any law enforcement officer involved in smuggling operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco Nagel and Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza are prosecuting the case.
The charges mark the latest in a troubling pattern of corruption among CBP personnel in the San Diego region. In the last two years, five CBP officers assigned to the area have faced similar accusations, including Leonard Darnell George, who was sentenced last year to 23 years in prison for smuggling drugs and migrants.
Rodriguez’s attorney, Michael Hawkins, emphasized that his client is presumed innocent and said they are in the early stages of reviewing the case.
CBP and the National Border Patrol Council have not yet issued public comments.
