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Border Agent Pleads Guilty To Bribery
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Abel Canales Plea Agreement
TUCSON, Ariz. -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty to bribery charges in Arizona. As Michel Marizco reports, it's only the beginning of legal troubles against the agent.
Agent Abel Canales pleaded guilty to accepting an envelope filled with cash in exchange for allowing a U-Haul truck to pass through the Interstate 19 checkpoint. It was a sting operation; the U-Haul's driver made him believe he carried a load of drugs. You can read the history of the case here.
Canales is also at the center of a civil lawsuit filed against the U.S. government. In 2010, law enforcement reports show he chased down an illegal immigrant outside of Nogales and then shot the man. The victim survived, went through three surgeries and then was deported back to Mexico. In its response in the civil case, the Justice Department called the shooting self defense.