Customs and Border Protection officers Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez were supposed to be guarding one of the busiest border crossings in the world. Federal prosecutors say they instead sold access to it.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, Almonte and Rodriguez were indicted in a federal case alleging that they allowed vehicles carrying undocumented individuals (illegal immigrants) to pass through their inspection lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry without proper inspection.
The indictment alleges that Almonte, Rodriguez, and a third CBP officer, Kairy Stephania Quiñonez, revealed their lane assignments and work schedules so co-conspirators would know when to send vehicles through the port. Prosecutors also allege the defendants made false entries in CBP’s Transportation Enforcement Communications System, known as TECS, by misreporting the number of occupants inside vehicles in order to conceal that undocumented individuals were being brought into the United States.
Almonte and Rodriguez face additional bribery charges. Federal prosecutors allege that, in exchange for money, the two officers failed to enforce U.S. immigration laws by allowing vehicles carrying undocumented immigrants to enter the country.
The case followed earlier charges announced by federal prosecutors in April 2025. In that announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Almonte and Rodriguez were arrested on March 24, 2025, and charged with conspiracy to bring in aliens for financial gain, bringing in aliens for financial gain, and receipt of bribes by a public official. According to court records described by prosecutors, the alleged conduct involved “dozens of cars” between August 2024 and January 2025.
The Associated Press reported that investigators found phone evidence allegedly showing communications with human traffickers in Mexico, as well as unexplained cash deposits. AP also reported that prosecutors said the officers were allegedly paid thousands of dollars for each vehicle they waved through.
Local San Diego coverage from ABC 10News San Diego reported that Almonte, 38, of San Diego, and Rodriguez, 34, of Tijuana, were accused of taking bribes to allow vehicles through their inspection booths. The same report noted that Quiñonez was also indicted in the broader case, but was not charged with bribery.
The charges listed by the Justice Department include conspiracy to bring in aliens for financial gain, bringing in aliens for financial gain and aiding and abetting, and receipt of bribes by a public official. The listed maximum penalties include up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, up to fifteen years in prison with a five-year mandatory minimum on the bringing-in-aliens-for-financial-gain charge, and up to fifteen years in prison on the bribery charge.
This case is especially serious because CBP officers are not ordinary government employees. They hold positions of trust at ports of entry where national security, immigration enforcement, anti-smuggling work, and public safety all intersect. When federal officers are accused of selling access to inspection lanes, the alleged misconduct does not merely involve personal corruption. It undermines the integrity of the border inspection system itself.
The Department of Justice stated that the case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, and the United States Border Patrol.
Important note: The charges and allegations in an indictment or criminal complaint are accusations. Almonte, Rodriguez, and any other defendant in the case are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
