U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers Farlis Almonte, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Kairy Stephania Quiñonez face charges for allegedly allowing vehicles with undocumented individuals to pass through inspection lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry without proper checks. The indictment claims that the officers disclosed their work schedules and lane assignments to co-conspirators, facilitating the transport of undocumented individuals across the border using code words.
The defendants are accused of falsifying records in the Transportation Enforcement Communications System (TECS), a database used by CBP officers, by misreporting vehicle occupants to hide the presence of undocumented individuals. Additionally, Almonte and Rodriguez face charges for accepting bribes in exchange for not enforcing U.S. immigration laws.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco Nagel and Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza are prosecuting this case.
The defendants named in Case Number 25-CR-1502 include:
- Farlis Almonte, 38, from San Diego, California
- Ricardo Rodriguez, 34, from Tijuana, Mexico
- Kairy Stephania Quiñonez, 31, from Imperial Beach, California
Charges against them include conspiracy to bring in aliens for financial gain under Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371 and Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii), which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. They also face charges for bringing in aliens for financial gain and aiding and abetting under Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) and Title 18 U.S.C., Section 2 with a potential fifteen-year sentence including a five-year mandatory minimum. The charge of receipt of bribes by a public official under Title 18 U.S.C., Section 201(b)(2)(C) could result in up to fifteen years imprisonment.
This investigation involved multiple agencies including the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, CBP's Office of Field Operations, and United States Border Patrol.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—an initiative aimed at countering illegal immigration and dismantling cartels as well as transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
*The charges outlined are accusations; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.*
