By Brianna Willis
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A federal indictment alleges a Houston-area bail bondsman and some employees paid a now-former ICE officer to lift immigration holds on undocumented migrants who were awaiting removal.
Prosecutors said Leopoldo Perrault Benitez, the bail bondsman and owner of A Way Out Bail Bonds, his son and employe, Anthony Benitez, and Isaac Sierra who worked at International bonding, paid a deportation officer with ICE, now identified as Jose angel Muni, to lift immigration detainers on undocumented immigrants awaiting criminal proceedings.
This means that if a defendant was released on bond, they would not be detained by ICE agents.
Immigration attorney Kim Bruno said it’s preying on people who need it most.
“The people who benefit from this type of corruption are the ICE officers. These unscrupulous individuals who are working with the bail bondsmen company, to take advantage of the vulnerable people, nobody else benefits from this,” Bruno said.
ABC13 reached out to the Harris County bail bond president, he said right now the companies are still licensed, but he said it’s on the agenda for their board meeting next week, to determine next steps including if bondsman Benitez, will no longer be able to write bonds or if he’ll have to surrender his license.
Bruno says it’s unethical of the companies and the former ICE officer in power.
“The corruption that they’ve taken on in this role is really to take advantage of situations where people who are undocumented are willing to pay whatever is at stake because they need to get out of their situation, they don’t want to go through the immigration process because they may end up getting deported, so you have a desperation on one side and a need on the other,” Bruno said.
If convicted, they all face up to 15 years in prison. They are due back in court on Aug. 25.
ABC13 reached out to all the attorneys representing the defendants, as well as ICE. Everyone who got back to ABC13 said they have no comment right now.
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