U.S. Homeland Security agent arrested during federal corruption investigation

[News_Editor]

U.S. Homeland Security agent arrested during federal corruption investigation

2011-06-16 08:26:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

TUCSON, ARIZONA (BNO NEWS) -- A special agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was arrested on Tuesday after a federal corruption investigation, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Jovana Samaniego Deas, 33, of Rio Rico, Arizona, was detained after the investigation revealed that she illegally accessed, stole and transferred sensitive U.S. government documents to family members and associates with strong ties to drug trafficking organizations.

The defendant was charged with computer fraud, theft of government records and making false statements in a 12-count federal indictment issued by the U.S. District Court in Tucson.

According to the indictment, Samaniego Deas abused her position as an HSI special agent to illegally obtain and disseminate government documents classified as 'Official Use Only' for the benefit of south of the border drug trafficking organizations.

"This defendant used and abused her position as a special agent to illegally help family members south of the border with ties to drug trafficking organizations," said U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Dennis Burke. "That is a violation of the public's trust and a breach of our security."

The arrest was the culmination of a two-year investigation on Samaniego Deas conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) agents at the FBI's Southern Arizona Corruption Task Force (SACTF).

"We hold our employees to the highest standards of professional and personal integrity," said Terri Tollefson, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility West. "We will not tolerate criminal misconduct and will hold our employees accountable for betraying the public's trust."

In June 2003, Samaniego Deas became a U.S. government employee as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at a Nogales. She was later promoted to special agent at the HSI Nogales office in 2008.

The former HSI agent appeared on Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo Velasco and was released on bond. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison for each felony count.

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