El Paso, Texas — Odet Madrid-Corchado, 39, has caved under federal pressure, pleading guilty to a sordid conspiracy that exploited her husband’s badge to profit from human desperation. The wife of former Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer Lawrence Madrid admitted in court to her central role in a cross-border alien smuggling and bribery scheme that operated between August 2010 and September 2011, taking advantage of her husband’s position at the El Paso ports of entry.
Appearing before Senior United States District Judge David Briones, Madrid-Corchado entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain, one substantive count of alien smuggling for financial gain, and one count of bribery of a public official. She has been in federal custody since her arrest on November 29, 2016, after failing to appear for trial alongside her husband. Her $10,000 appearance bond has been forfeited to the Government.
Court records reveal that Madrid-Corchado wasn’t just a bystander—she actively facilitated the illegal crossing of undocumented aliens through official ports of entry and personally collected smuggling fees. Meanwhile, her husband, Lawrence Madrid, used his authority as a federal officer to ensure these crossings went undetected. In exchange, he accepted cash bribes, turning his oath into a racket.
Lawrence Madrid didn’t walk. On May 26, 2016, a federal jury in El Paso convicted him of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain, aiding and abetting alien smuggling, and two counts of accepting bribes. He was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison on September 9, 2016. Odet Madrid-Corchado now faces up to ten years on the conspiracy charge, three to ten years on the smuggling count, and up to 15 years for bribery. Sentencing is set for April 5, 2017, at 9:30 a.m.
A third defendant, 46-year-old undocumented alien Maria Guadalupe Jaime-Hernandez, remains on the run. She pleaded guilty on May 5, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain but vanished before sentencing in September 2016. Her $10,000 bond has been forfeited, and a federal arrest warrant is active. Authorities warn she could be hiding in the borderlands.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Las Cruces and the Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Greg McDonald and Robert Almonte are prosecuting. The fallout underscores a deeper rot: when federal officers sell access, the border isn’t breached by force—it’s opened from the inside.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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