The Department of Justice announced earlier this week that a former Customs and Border Protection agent was convicted of accepting bribes from a group attempting to smuggle drugs and illegal immigrants across the southern border.
A federal jury convicted Leonard Darnell George on Monday of two counts of accepting a bribe from a public official, conspiracy to import controlled substances and causing the entry of certain aliens with the intent to obtain financial gain.
According to the Department of Justice, George worked for two separate criminal organizations and over a six-month period allowed vehicles loaded with methamphetamine and other illegal drugs, as well as vehicles carrying illegal immigrants, to enter the United States through his traffic lanes.
Prosecutors and law enforcement officials determined that George authorized approximately 19 border crossings by criminal organizations over a six-month period.
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Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Leonard Darnell George was convicted of accepting a bribe by a public official, conspiracy to import controlled substances, and two counts of admitting certain aliens with intent to obtain financial gain. (Reuters)
During the trial, witnesses described how George would drive vehicles through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, a border crossing in San Diego, between late 2021 and mid-2022. Witnesses testified that George would contact members of a drug trafficking organization while at work to tell them which lane he was working in, then wait an hour for them to arrive.
In February 2022, a vehicle suspected of trafficking drugs by law enforcement entered George’s lane, forcing George to send the vehicle for a secondary inspection, where approximately 222 pounds of methamphetamine was discovered.
George then allowed a second drug-laden vehicle, traveling closely behind the flagged vehicle, to cross the border into the United States with over 200 pounds of drugs inside.
According to the Department of Justice, the trial revealed that George received $13,000 in return for transporting the vehicle across the border the next day. George then used the money to purchase a 2020 Cadillac CT5 as a gift to a drug trafficking associate and delivered the car to the individual in Ensenada, Mexico, on Valentine’s Day.
He also would change the names of drivers passing in his lane or omit passenger names entirely to conceal his authorization.
George worked as a Customs and Border Protection officer at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
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Text messages shared during the trial showed George letting criminals pass through his lane for $17,000 apiece. One message confirmed George received $68,000 in June 2022 after letting four vehicles from one organization pass through his lane, according to the Department of Justice.
Witnesses said George used the money to buy cars, motorcycles and jewelry, and that he also made frequent trips to Tijuana to visit the Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club, where he “showered” the dancers with money and bought them alcohol and other gifts, the Justice Department said.
“With this verdict, the jury sent a clear message to anyone considering trading their badge for cash,” said U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “Abandoning the integrity of your uniform for a drug trafficking conspiracy is a path to criminal conviction.”
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George is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on September 13. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, according to a Department of Justice press release.
