Ex-ICE Officer, Somerset Man Sentenced For Demanding Sex, Bribes

SOMERSET, NJ — A Somerset man and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was sentenced to 84 months in prison for taking cash bribes and sex from undocumented immigrants, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Arnaldo Echevarria, 40, was previously convicted on seven counts of accepting bribes, one count of harboring an undocumented immigrant and one count of making false statements to immigration authorities. He was acquitted on one of the bribery counts, Fishman said.

• See Related: Former Somerset Deportation Officer Who Took Sex, Cash Bribes Convicted: US Attorney

Echevarria was convicted following a one-week trial on Tuesday.

Between 2012 and 2014, Echevarria, who enforced immigration and customs laws, demanded and received about $75,000 in cash bribes, and demanded and received sex from one undocumented immigrant in exchange for employment authorization documents, according to statements made in court and evidence presented at trial.

"In order to conceal them from immigration authorities, Echevarria falsely stated that they had been granted temporary protected status, which allows nationals from certain countries experiencing environmental disaster, ongoing armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions to lawfully remain in the United States," according to the Fishman. "None of the individuals who bribed Echevarria had actually applied for, or received, temporary protected status."

In December 2012, Echevarria opened a hair salon in West Orange where he employed his girlfriend at the time, an undocumented immigrant, to manage the salon, according to the report.

Echevarria's girlfriend had entered the United States illegally, using the name and identification of an individual in Puerto Rico to obtain a Pennsylvania identification card, accoridng to reports.

Echevarria allegedly knew his girlfriend was in the U.S. illegally.

In addition to the prison term, Echevarria was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $75,000.

(ICE Agent Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

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