Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison

FORMER U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENT  SENTENCED TO 2 YEARS IN PRISON

            TUCSON, Ariz. – Today, former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Raimundo Borjas, 41, of Douglas, Ariz., was sentenced to two years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer G. Zipps, for conspiracy to commit money laundering.  Judge Zipps also entered an order forfeiting $28,100 of the funds Borjas attempted to launder and entered a money judgment against Borjas for an additional $9,720, which represented Borjas’s profit from the offense. Borjas pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2014.

            On Feb. 24, 2010, Borjas opened a personal checking account at Southeastern Arizona Federal Credit Union in Douglas, Ariz. Borjas deposited into the account cash that was dirty, frayed, and had holes in it (“mutilated cash”), totaling $61,600.

            Borjas received the $61,600 in mutilated cash, which he believed was drug proceeds, from “Rigo.”  Borjas and Rigo agreed that Borjas would deposit the mutilated cash, withdraw useable cash in the same amount, and delivered it back to Rigo.  For his participation in this scheme, Borjas received 30% of the money he laundered.    

            During this period, Borjas withdrew $32,400 of the money in useable, clean bills and returned it to Rigo, receiving $9,720 as payment.  Borjas was unable to withdraw the remaining $28,100 because the United States seized those funds.

The investigation is this case was conducted by the Cochise Border Corruption Task Force, which consists of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Customs and Border Protection Internal Affairs, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Douglas Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Mary Sue Feldmeier, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER:           CR- 13-cr-00620-TUC-JCZ        

RELEASE NUMBER:   2015-006_ Borjas

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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