Ex-CBP officer from Weslaco sentenced to 140 months in prison
BROWNSVILLE — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced Wednesday to more than 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty last year to charges of bribery, cocaine trafficking and smuggling undocumented immigrants.
The courtroom was packed with the man’s family and friends as U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen sentenced Raul Montaño Jr., 34, of Weslaco, to 140 months in prison followed by a five-year period of supervised release, as well as the forfeiture of $134,000 in currency.
“I let down a lot of people. The U.S. government put its trust in me and I betrayed that trust,” Montaño told the judge as he choked back tears. “I know it is not an excuse, but I believe that alcoholism and my addiction to cocaine played a part; without those two I wouldn’t be here. … I’m not a bad person. I made bad choices.”
Montaño claimed to have struggled with cocaine addiction since he was 16, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to the charges in November, admitting that while employed with CBP and working as an officer at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, he allowed vehicles to pass through his primary checkpoint lane without undergoing inspection.
Montaño initially received $500 per vehicle for allowing undocumented immigrants to continue on their way, according to court records. By the time of his arrest, he was involved in smuggling not only immigrants but also drugs and was accepting bribes ranging from $8,000 to $10,000 per vehicle.
During the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Noe Garza asked Judge Hanen to consider leniency because of Montaño’s cooperation since his arrest in April 2009.
Garza also reminded the judge that Montaño is appearing in a U.S. Department of Justice video depicting his downfall that will be used as a training tool for future government agents.
Montaño’s arrest followed a joint investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the FBI.
The former federal officer waved and smiled at his relatives Wednesday as he was escorted from the courtroom.
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Ildefonso Ortiz is a reporter for The Brownsville Herald.
