Press Release
☷Former Federal Agent Found Guilty of Participating in Bribery Scheme That Brought Him Approximately $100 000 in Ill Gotten Gains
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
May 04,2022
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Former Federal Agent Found Guilty of Participating in Bribery Scheme that Brought Him Approximately $100 , 000 in Ill - Gotten Gains LOS ANGELES – A former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations ( HSI ) was found guilty by a federal jury today of dozens of criminal charges for accepting cash payments and other benefits to help an organized crime - linked person , including taking official action designed to help two foreign nationals gain entry into the United States . Felix Cisneros Jr . , 48 , of Murrieta , was found guilty of 30 felonies: one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of a public official , one count of bribery , 26 counts of money laundering and two counts of subscribing to a false tax return . After today ' s verdict was read , Cisneros was ordered immediately remanded into federal custody . According to evidence presented at his five - day trial , over an 18 - month period that started in September 2015 , Cisneros accepted cash , checks , private jet travel , luxury hotel stays , meals and other items of value from a person identified in court documents as “Individual 1 , ” who was associated with a criminal organization . Cisneros received approximately $100 , 000 in checks and gifts from Individual 1 in 2015 and 2016 . Cisneros accepted the cash and other bribes while employed as a special agent with HSI , which is an agency within the United States Department of Homeland Security . In exchange for the bribes , Cisneros performed a series of official acts at the behest of Individual 1 , including:Accessing a DHS database for information about a German national identified as W . R . , and telling Individual 1 he removed a “hit” on W . R . , “thus indicating derogatory information had been removed”;Placing an alert in a law enforcement database for an address associated with an illegal marijuana grow operation so Cisneros could learn of law enforcement interest and warn Individual 1;Obtaining an official DHS letter signed by an HSI assistant special agent in charge to allow the parole of Individual 1’s brother - in - law into the United States from Mexico , and later providing updates about the brother - in - law’s asylum application; andCollecting information on an associate of Individual 1 whose home had been searched by law enforcement and later providing Individual 1 with information about the investigation . Cisneros also underreported his total income on his federal income tax returns by at least $20 , 000 for the year 2015 and at least $73 , 404 for the year 2016 . United States District Judge R . Gary Klausner has scheduled an August 1 sentencing hearing . The conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison , the bribery count carries a sentence of up to 15 years , each money laundering charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment , and each tax count carries a statutory maximum sentence of three years in federal prison . The FBI , IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General investigated this matter . Assistant United States Attorney Ruth C . Pinkel of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J . Morse and Juan M . Rodriguez of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case .
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