A former Customs and Border Protection officer has been sentenced to eight months in prison for allowing a wanted migrant smuggler to get through his inspection lane.
Thomas Silva apologized to a federal judge in San Diego on Friday, saying he disgraced his badge when he allowed his brother-in-law and two others to enter the U.S. in a special lane for prescreened motorists.
At the time, the brother-in-law was wanted for escaping a halfway house while serving time for his smuggling conviction.
The 33-year-old's sentence is also for pleading guilty to defrauding Farmers Insurance out of more than $7,000 for falsely claiming a truck that he took to Mexico had been stolen.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
