SAN DIEGO (AP) - A former Border Patrol agent was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for smuggling illegal immigrants, sometimes in his own government vehicle.
Eric Balderas, 28, pleaded guilty in December 2005 to conspiracy to bring in illegal aliens. His plea agreement indicated that he admitted smuggling at least 100 people, said prosecutor Alana Wong. Authorities allege that the crimes occurred in the spring of 2005.
Balderas worked with fellow agent Oscar Antonio Ortiz, who was sentenced last year to five years in prison.
Ortiz, himself an illegal immigrant from Mexico, admitted that he and Balderas took money to transport illegal migrants north from the U.S.-Mexico border, sometimes in their Border Patrol vehicles.
The agents worked near Tecate, a remote area east of San Diego. Wiretaps indicate they were paid $300 a person for looking the other way when migrants crossed the border. If the agents drove the immigrants, they got $1,800 to $2,000 per person.
U.S. District Judge John Houston ordered that Balderas be immediately placed in custody. He had been free on bond.
Balderas' attorney, Marcus DeBose, did not immediately respond to a phone message.
