Gabriel Burke, Accepting a Bribe to Smuggle, New Mexico 2012

ALBUQUERQUE – Gabriel Burke, a 43-year-old former U.S. Border Patrol Agent from Deming, New Mexico, has pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe to smuggle an illegal alien into the United States. Burke entered his guilty plea this morning to a felony information charging him with accepting a bribe announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales and Ervin J. Frankson, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The felony information to which Burke pleaded guilty charges Burke with corruptly accepting a bribe between December 2011 and February 2012 in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, for being persuaded to do an act in violation of his official duty. At the time, Burke was a U.S. Border Patrol Agent assigned to the Deming Border Patrol Station.

According to court documents, Burke admitted that, between December 22, 2011 and February 1, 2012, while he was employed as a Border Patrol Agent, he accepted $1,100 to smuggle an undocumented alien from Mexico into the United States.

Burke was released under pretrial supervision pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Burke faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a mandatory term of supervised release not to exceed three years.

The investigation into Burke’s actions was conducted by the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility in El Paso, Texas, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.

Burke’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the integrity of the U.S. Border Patrol and serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the highest standards of conduct among law enforcement officials.

As a result of Burke’s actions, the U.S. Border Patrol has implemented additional measures to prevent similar instances of corruption in the future.

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