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Former southern Arizona Border Patrol agent found guilty of corruption

Border Patrol Car
Donna Burton/U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Border Patrol agents monitor the border fence line that runs through Arizona and Mexico for illegal crossings.

A former Border Patrol agent has been found guilty on corruption charges by a federal court in Tucson.

Jorge Jimenez, 54, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Wire Fraud by a jury on Friday.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says court documents and trial evidence shows Jimenez had worked for the Border Patrol since 2010 and was performing inspections at one of the agency’s checkpoints along I-19 for about three months last year.

Government attorneys provided evidence showing that during that time, Jimenez worked with at least two people in Mexico to coordinate passage of vehicles with “loads,” allowing them to pass inspection without issue. They say the was expecting to receive half of a $40,000 payment in exchange for that work.

His sentencing is scheduled for July. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $230,000 fine.

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Alisa Reznick is a senior field correspondent covering stories across southern Arizona and the borderlands for the Tucson bureau of KJZZ's Fronteras Desk.