FORMER
LAREDO POLICE OFFICERS SENTENCED IN BRIBERY SCHEME
(LAREDO, Texas) -
Former officers with the Laredo Police Department (LPD), Lt. Eloy Rodriguez
and Sgt. Alfonso Santos, have been sentenced for their roles in a bribery
scheme centered around area eight-liner establishments, United States
Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today. U.S. District Judge George Kazen
imposed a term of 38 months imprisonment and a $57,000 fine for Rodriguez
while Santos received 34 months imprisonment and a $27,800 forfeiture.
Both men will be placed on a three-year term of supervised release.
"It is no shining
moment when a member of law enforcement has himself, been brought to the
bar of justice," DeGabrielle said. "Citizens should instead
reflect upon the good work of the majority of those who have dedicated
themselves to serve and protect and be confident that all will be held
accountable when they don't."
Rodriguez, 44, of
Laredo, pleaded guilty to conspiring along with Santos, 51, to taking
bribe money from local eight-liner establishments operating illegally
in exchange for providing police protection and preventing raids. Rodriguez
was in charge of white collar crimes at LPD, including eight-liner investigations.
Rodriguez knew and associated with Santos, one of two sergeants responsible
for the investigation of major drug trafficking organizations operating
within the Laredo area.
"This investigation
is a clear example of the FBI's commitment to aggressively disrupting
corruption at all levels of government whenever the public trust is violated
and the community's belief in honest law enforcement is undermined,"
said Special Agent in Charge Ralph G. Diaz of the San Antonio Division
of the FBI.
A federal grand jury
indicted Rodriguez and Santos in a 68-page, 53-count indictment July 9,
2007. The indictment charged both defendants with one count of Conspiracy
to Interfere with Commerce Under Color of Official Right (Hobbs Act violation)
and 38 counts of Interference with Commerce Under Color of Official Right,
which occurred from on or about April 2003 to on or about Nov. 10, 2006.
Rodriguez was charged in 21 Hobbs Act counts while Santos was charged
in 19. The indictment also charged Rodriguez with 14 narcotics counts.
Santos pleaded guilty
Aug. 16, 2007, to conspiring to commit Hobbs Act extortion, while Rodriguez
pleaded to the same felony count Aug. 27, 2007. Rodriguez and Santos were
captured on audio and video tapes accepting, among other things, almost
weekly bribe payments, usually in $2,000 and $1,000 increments, respectively.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to receiving $57,200 in bribe payments and facilitating
the payment to an unindicted co-conspirator of another $1,000 in bribe
money. Santos pleaded guilty to receiving $27,800 in bribe payments and
facilitating the payment to an unindicted co-conspirator of another $10,000
in bribe money. The officers accepted bribes in exchange for not raiding
and preventing raids on eight-liner businesses engaged in illegal activity
in addition to not arresting, nor causing the arrest of the owners, nor
seizing the business' equipment and providing law enforcement sensitive
information.
The case was prosecuted
by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Wright and Jim McAlister
and investigated by special agents of the FBI.
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