Johnny Martin, Lying to Feds, California 2018
Former DHS Agent Charged with Lying to Feds in Immigration Fraud Case
San Diego, CA - June 12, 2018
Johnny Martin, a 59-year-old former supervisor in the Department of Homeland Security, was arraigned in federal court today on an indictment charging him with lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his improper transmission of sensitive law enforcement information.
The charges against Martin stem from an investigation into a massive immigration fraud scheme involving over 150 victims and millions of dollars in losses.
According to the indictment, FBI agents approached Martin in June 2017 and asked about his dealings with an individual who had shared information with Martin and from 2010 to 2012. In fact, Martin was well acquainted with this individual.
While still employed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in 2015 and 2016, Martin had improperly searched a confidential law enforcement database on more than a dozen occasions for names provided by this individual. Martin then created new documents containing the confidential information, and used his personal email account to send the documents he created to the individual.
Martin’s case is related to a separate immigration fraud case pending against Hardev Panesar, Rafael Hastie, and Gurdev Singh (Case No. 17CR1371-GPC). According to the indictment in that case, Panesar and Hastie posed as Department of Homeland Security agents and defrauded their victims by claiming that they could obtain immigration status and stop deportation proceedings in exchange for exorbitant fees.
Martin, who is no longer employed by HSI, was released on bond and is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel on July 27, 2018.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Johnny Martin, Age: 59, Chula Vista, California
Criminal Charges: 18 U.S.C. § 1001, Making a False Statement to a Federal Agent
Maximum Penalties: 5 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, 3 years’ supervised release.
Agencies Involved: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection - Office of Professional Responsibility.
Case Number: 18CR2835-GPC
Current Status: Released on bond with a court appearance scheduled on July 27, 2018.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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