Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of Texas

Donald J. DeGabrielle
United States Attorney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   ANGELA DODGE   
DEC. 4, 2008   PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER 
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/TXS  (713) 567-9388                 

BORDER PATROL AGENT INDICTED FOR BRIBERY AND NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING

(McALLEN, Texas) – A U.S. Border Patrol (BP) agent has been indicted for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for escorting narcotic loads, acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. Salomon Ruiz, 34, of McAllen, was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008, by the FBI without incident. Ruiz made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos in McAllen on Wednesday and has been ordered temporarily detained pending a hearing Monday, Dec. 8, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. on the government’s motion to detain him without bond pending trial of the case. Ruiz is a Border Patrol agent assigned to the Rio Grande Valley sector.

The four-count indictment returned under seal by a Houston grand jury on Monday, Dec. 1, 2008, was unsealed by the court at Ruiz’s initial appearance. The first count accuses Ruiz of corruptly demanding, receiving, and accepting approximately $14,000 in bribes to escort a narcotics load in violation of his lawful official duty as a United States BP agent between October 2006 through Sept. 11, 2008. Ruiz is accused in the second count of the indictment of conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine between June 7, 2008, through Sept. 11, 2008. Counts three and four of the indictment accuse Ruiz of possessing with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The case will be tried in McAllen.

“Border Patrol agents are entrusted with tremendous authority and the enormous responsibility of securing our nation’s borders, making it a world-class law enforcement agency,” said Ronald D. Vitiello, Chief Patrol Agent, Rio Grande Valley Sector. “Isolated incidents by Border Patrol agents who violate the trust of the citizens they swore to protect will be held accountable.”

A federal conviction for bribery carries a penalty of imprisonment of not more than 15 years and/or a fine not more than three times the monetary equivalent of the bribe. A conviction for conspiring to, aiding and abetting or possessing with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine carries a penalty of imprisonment of not less than 10 years up to life imprisonment and a $4 million fine.

The charges against Ruiz are the result of an investigation conducted by the McAllen Office of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, Customs and Border Protection Internal Affairs and Customs and Border Protection/U.S. Border Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Wright of the Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.