CBP Officer Arrested for Bribery Charges

Federal authorities arrested a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) supervisory officer the morning of Thursday, October 25, 2012, on charges of accepting bribes to allow others, including his ex-wife, to smuggle goods into the United States so they could avoid paying duties and taxes.

Sam Herbert Allen, 51, of Diamond Bar, was arrested after being indicted Wednesday, October 24, 2012, by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy, bribery and making false statements to investigating agents with the Department of Homeland Security.

The probe was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Internal Affairs.

According to the five-count indictment, Allen served as a supervisory officer assigned to oversee the examination and release of cargo entering the United States. After he was transferred to other duties within CBP, Allen convinced his ex-wife to operate an import business that would avoid paying duties on shipments coming from the People's Republic of China.

The import business – technically a "foreign trade zone" – would falsely claim that the shipments from China were not imported, but were instead immediately sent to Mexico. The indictment alleges that Allen promised to make the shipments appear to CBP as if they had been exported to Mexico, this in exchange for bribe payments of $2,000 per shipment.

During the course the scheme, which operated from at least September 2009 until March 2010, Allen allegedly received more than $100,000 in bribe payments. The indictment alleges that the scheme caused the United States to suffer a loss of at least $781,000 in unpaid customs duties and taxes.

"When public servants break the law, it leaves behind an indelible stain," said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. "The indictment alleges that Officer Allen violated the public trust by using his position in a government agency to line his pockets and deprive the United States of legitimate taxes owed in the normal course of business. The criminal charges reflect our commitment to rooting out and punishing corrupt officials."

The indictment goes on to allege that Allen encouraged his ex-wife to lie – and that Allen himself lied – to federal law enforcement personnel investigating and prosecuting this scheme. Allen is also charged with lying to investigators when he denied discussing a separate scheme to smuggle cocaine into the United States from Mexico.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed crimes. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Allen is expected to be arraigned on the indictment the afternoon of Thursday, October 25, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

If he is convicted of the five counts in the indictment, Allen would face a statutory maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison.

Allen's ex-wife, Wei Lai, was charged with crimes related to her role in the smuggling scheme in July 2011. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to go to trial with another defendant Feb. 19, 2013.

Authorities Looking for Criminal Who Posed as ICE Officer

Federal authorities are asking individuals who may have been deceived, threatened or harmed by a man posing as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officer to come forward and aid the investigation into his alleged crimes.

Jose "Panama" Antonio Haughton, 36, is believed to have illegally posed as an immigration officer over the past several years. He is known by most people simply as "Panama." While he operated mostly from the Seattle/Tacoma area, investigators have identified victims in other parts of the country.

According to investigators, Haughton targeted illegal immigrants and promised to expedite applications for immigration benefits for a fee. Haughton would perform elaborate charades to convince his victims of his credibility, including accompanying them to Department of Homeland Security offices. Law enforcement has also received information that Haughton threatened individuals with bodily harm while carrying out his scheme.

"We understand the fear that illegal immigrant crime victims have with coming forward to law enforcement," said Shawn Fallah, resident agent in charge of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Seattle. "ICE takes these allegations very seriously; impersonating a federal officer is a significant crime that undermines public safety and trust. Our primary concern in these cases is to arrest and criminally prosecute imposters. We will not allow criminals to capitalize on the fear of deportation to victimize immigrants."

Haughton came to the attention of law enforcement after an illegal immigrant crime victim reported him to police. According to court documents, Haughton posed as an ICE officer and exploited the victim's fear of deportation to extort money and sex from her. Haughton is currently being held at the King County Jail awaiting trial on rape and robbery charges.

Haughton's criminal record shows felony convictions in Colorado, Montana and New York. He has not yet been charged in connection with the federal investigation and is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Anyone with information about this case or individuals posing as immigration officers is encouraged to contact ICE at www.ICE.gov/tips or 1-866-DHS-2ICE; reports can be made 24 hours a day in both Spanish and English.

OPR and ICE Homeland Security Investigations are involved in the probe. OPR is the agency's internal affairs division tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. OPR is involved in this case because Haughton allegedly posed as an ICE officer.

Former ICE Director Sentenced to 20 Months for Fraud

The former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Intelligence was sentenced July 13, 2012, to 20 months in prison for defrauding the U.S. government.

James M. Woosley, 48, defrauded the government of more than $180,000 in a scheme involving fraudulent travel vouchers, and time and attendance claims.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., District of Columbia; Charles K. Edwards, acting inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); James W. McJunkin, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, and Timothy Moynihan, director of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility.

Woosley, formerly of Tucson, Ariz., pleaded guilty in May 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conversion of government money. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Upon completion of his prison term, Woosley will be placed on three years of supervised release. In addition, as part of his plea agreement, he agreed to forfeiture and restitution of the money that he wrongfully obtained.

Four others have pled guilty in the case. Ahmed Adil Abdallat, 64, a former ICE supervisory intelligence research specialist, pleaded guilty in October 2011; William J. Korn, 53, a former ICE intelligence research specialist, pleaded guilty in December 2011; Stephen E.
Henderson, 62, a former contractor who did work for ICE, pleaded guilty in January 2012, and Lateisha M. Rollerson, 38, a former assistant to Woosley, pleaded guilty in March 2012.
Abdallat pleaded guilty in the Western District of Texas, and the others pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia.

Abdallat was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay $116,392 in restitution. Henderson has been sentenced to three months in prison and must forfeit $54,387, representing his share of the proceeds of the crime. Rollerson was sentenced to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $295,866 in restitution. Korn is awaiting sentencing.

All told, the actions of the various defendants cost ICE more than $500,000.

"Today's sentence reflects the outstanding law enforcement cooperation in a case that unmasked the illicit acts of a senior ICE official," said Director Moynihan on July 13, 2012. "Bottom line: James Woosley violated the public trust in pursuit of his own greed. While his actions are atypical of the dedication and integrity demonstrated by the vast majority of ICE employees, this sentence should serve as a stark reminder about the serious consequences facing those who would exploit their positions for personal financial gain. The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility will continue to investigate those individuals aggressively and seek their prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."

"James Woosley took advantage of the trust he was given by the United States government to carry out a scheme that cost American taxpayers more than a half-million dollars," said U.S. Attorney Machen. "He personally obtained more than $188,000 while also bringing others into the fraud. Now he and four others have been convicted of their crimes, and he will be spending time in prison for this betrayal of his office."

"For years, Mr. Woosley participated in a scheme to defraud the government for his own personal gain," said Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. "Today, he is being held accountable for his actions. This sentencing demonstrates that those who engage in government corruption, as well as those who allow it to happen, will be brought to justice."

According to the government's evidence, with which Woosley agreed, from in or about May 2008 until in or about January 2011, Woosley participated in the fraudulent activity involving travel vouchers, and time and attendance claims. In addition, from June 2008 until in or about February 2011, Woosley was aware of or willfully overlooked fraudulent activity of ICE or contract employees under his supervision.

The other employees included Rollerson, who he met in or about 2007, while he was deputy director of ICE's Office of Intelligence. Woosley and Rollerson developed a close, personal relationship. In or about May 2008, Rollerson was hired as an intelligence reports writer for a company that did contract work for ICE. Later that year, she was hired by ICE as an intelligence research specialist. This placed her first in the chain of command under Woosley, and she later became Woosley's personal assistant. Rollerson's official duty station was in Washington, and she lived in Virginia, often with Woosley. Rollerson helped Woosley and the other participants with the paperwork to support the fraudulent payments they later received. Woosley admitted obtaining money in various ways:

·                             Between in or about May 2008 and January 2011, Woosley submitted or caused to be submitted approximately 13 fraudulent travel vouchers to ICE, at a cost of $50,637. As Woosley's assistant, Rollerson created all but one of the travel vouchers, as well as fraudulent documents to support the claimed expenses. She often accompanied him on the trips.

·                             Between in or about November 2009 and January 2011, Woosley submitted or caused to be submitted time and attendance claims for his pay for work he was supposed to be doing while he was on travel. Because he was not actually on travel, or working, he was not entitled to the payments of approximately $27,230.

·                             Starting in 2008, Woosley took a share of the fraudulent proceeds obtained by others in a scheme involving travel vouchers. For example, Henderson, an ICE contractor who was detailed on temporary duty to Washington, kicked back $5,000 to Woosley that was used to purchase a boat. Henderson also lived with Woosley and used some fraudulent proceeds to pay rent. Abdallat wrote checks to Rollerson and others, for the benefit of Woosley and Rollerson, totaling about $58,550. Korn kicked back about $30,648 to the benefit of Woosley and Rollerson. Finally, an unnamed contract employee gave $15,940 in fraudulent travel voucher funds to Woosley, which Woosley used for a real estate investment.

This case was investigated by ICE's OPR, DHS' Office of Inspector General and FBI's Washington Field Office.

In announcing today's sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Acting Inspector General Edwards, Assistant Director McJunkin, and Assistant Director Moynihan praised the investigative agents from the respective agencies for their hard work in this matter. They also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Butler and Allison Barlotta, who handled this prosecution, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Scruggs, who handled the asset forfeiture.