
U.S. border patrol agents detain two men from India after they climbed over the border wall from Mexico in Calexico, California, U.S. February 8, 2017. (Reuters)
MCALLEN, Texas – Prosecutors say a Cuban man living in South Texas must serve 18 months in a U.S. prison for impersonating a Border Patrol agent to scam other immigrants.
Eugene Agustin Munoz-Canellas was sentenced Monday by a federal judge in McAllen, Texas.
Investigators say the 55-year-old man is a permanent U.S. resident who lived in Mission, Texas.
Authorities say Munoz-Canellas falsely portrayed himself as a Border Patrol agent in 2015 and 2016 to solicit bribes from people seeking legal status in the U.S. He pleaded guilty in November to impersonating a law enforcement officer.
Prosecutors say Munoz-Canellas has a history of theft and fraud. He faces deportation after serving his prison term.