Man Pleads Guilty In Bribing ICE Agent to Deport Ex-Wife After Divorce

In a perfect world, divorce should be somewhat amicable by both parties. While divorce is not fun or ideal, it happens and both people should be as respectful of the process as possible, because when hostility is involved all hell can break loose. Just look at this awful story between 48-year-old Antonio Oswaldo Burgos and his former wife, who happened to be from El Salvador. When the two filed for divorce, Burgos wasn’t satisfied. He wanted her deported.

According to KATU2 News, Burgos met his ex-wife in El Salvador years ago. The two finally married in 2015, and she brought her daughter from a previous relationship to the U.S. as well. But when things didn’t work out Burgos somehow thought that that meant her time in the country was up and she had to go back.

As we now live in Trump era, some hateful people feel that gives them the right to behave as they please and even break the law, which is exactly what Burgos did. He contacted an ICE immigration agent and bribed him several times — offered him $3,000 to $4,000 — to deport his ex-wife. Thankfully this ICE agent respected the law and notified his supervisors that a man had bribed him, which is a federal offense.

“Attempting to bribe a federal law enforcement officer is a serious crime and will be met with equally-serious consequences,” Billy J. Williams, U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, said. “I commend the ICE officer involved in this case for responding to Burgos’s criminal proposition with the utmost level of professionalism and resolve.”

This week Burgos pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a public official and now faces “a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release,” according to Newsweek.

“We rely upon our officers to perform their duties with integrity,” Brad Bench, special agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, told Newsweek. “Because of the deportation officer’s actions, Burgos is being brought to justice. This case should send a strong message that those who attempt to coerce a public official will be punished.”