Former Immigration Enforcement Agent Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Participating In Narcotics Conspiracy

Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that KORDELL NESBITT pled guilty today to charges arising from his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. NESBITT, at the time an Immigration Enforcement Agent (“IEA”) with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arranged for the shipment of marijuana into the New York City area for distribution in the Bronx. NESBITT was charged in July 2013 and pled guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Jesse M. Furman.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Federal agents are supposed to uphold our nation’s laws, not break them. Kordell Nesbitt broke laws that he swore to enforce when he played an integral role in a cocaine and marijuana conspiracy. His successful prosecution underscores our commitment to holding accountable law enforcement officers who engage in unlawful activity.”

According to the Indictment to which NESBITT pled guilty, statements made during the plea proceeding, and other court documents:

Throughout his involvement in the conspiracy, NESBITT was an IEA with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). Among other duties, he was responsible for escorting detained aliens both within the United States and internationally to foreign countries. In this capacity, NESBITT was authorized to carry a firearm at all times, and was able to avoid screening measures at airports to which civilian travelers are typically subjected.

From at least May 2013, NESBITT sought to arrange for the shipment of cocaine and marijuana into the New York City area. Ultimately, NESBITT succeeded in coordinating the shipment of pound quantities of marijuana to an apartment in the Bronx. Once the package reached its destination, NESBITT personally coordinated sales of the narcotics within the packages using his cellular phone, sending drug customers to the apartment where a co-conspirator executed the sales. Charges against two alleged co-conspirators, Christopher Sinceno and Sherisse Thompson, remain pending.

NESBITT, 26, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to one count of engaging in a conspiracy to violate the narcotics laws of the United States, namely, to distribute controlled substances containing marijuana and cocaine. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility. He also thanked ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations for its assistance in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Martin S. Bell is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges against Thompson and Sinceno are merely accusations, and those defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

U.S. v. Kordell Nesbitt and Christopher Sinceno Indictment