Surveillance video from FBI sting |
LOS ANGELES -- A senior attorney with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was found guilty Tuesday of three dozen corruption-related charges for taking a series of bribes from immigrants who were seeking documentation to remain in the United States.
Constantine Peter Kallas, 39, of Alta Loma, was found guilty of conspiracy, six counts of bribery, two counts of obstruction of justice, seven counts of fraud and misuse of entry documents, three counts of aggravated identity theft, nine counts of making false statements to the Department of Labor, four counts of making false statements to obtain federal employee compensation and four counts of tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Kallas has been in prison since August 2008, about two months after he was arrested by FBI agents at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland.
Kallas and his wife accepted a bribe there from an immigrant, according to government prosecutors.
The June 2008 bribe was the last in a series of incidents in which Kallas and his wife, Maria, told illegal aliens that he was an immigration official, and could obtain immigration benefits in exchange for payments of as much as $20,000, according to Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Kallas took a $7,000 bribe from his housekeeper in return for using his official position at ICE to dismiss removal proceedings against her daughter, according to federal prosecutors.
The Kallases took bribes from four other illegal immigrants in return for using two companies they had set up -- Botno Inc. and Mississippi Valley Consulting Inc. -- to file Permanent Employment Certification applications with the Department of Labor that falsely claimed the companies had offered employment to the aliens, Mrozek said.
The couple's bank records show that, beyond Constantine Kallas' salary, about $950,000 had been deposited in the couple's bank accounts since 2000, according to court documents.
When investigators searched the Kallas residence in June 2008, they discovered a hidden floor safe that contained more than $177,000 in cash and two dozen official immigration files, prosecutors said.
Kallas faces a maximum term of 256 years in federal prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. on Aug. 9.
His 41-year-old wife pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering on Nov. 16. She is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Kallas joined ICE's predecessor agency in June 1998, but has been on unpaid leave since January 2007, Mrozek said.
Constantine Peter Kallas, 39, of Alta Loma, was found guilty of conspiracy, six counts of bribery, two counts of obstruction of justice, seven counts of fraud and misuse of entry documents, three counts of aggravated identity theft, nine counts of making false statements to the Department of Labor, four counts of making false statements to obtain federal employee compensation and four counts of tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Kallas has been in prison since August 2008, about two months after he was arrested by FBI agents at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland.
Kallas and his wife accepted a bribe there from an immigrant, according to government prosecutors.
The June 2008 bribe was the last in a series of incidents in which Kallas and his wife, Maria, told illegal aliens that he was an immigration official, and could obtain immigration benefits in exchange for payments of as much as $20,000, according to Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Kallas took a $7,000 bribe from his housekeeper in return for using his official position at ICE to dismiss removal proceedings against her daughter, according to federal prosecutors.
The Kallases took bribes from four other illegal immigrants in return for using two companies they had set up -- Botno Inc. and Mississippi Valley Consulting Inc. -- to file Permanent Employment Certification applications with the Department of Labor that falsely claimed the companies had offered employment to the aliens, Mrozek said.
The couple's bank records show that, beyond Constantine Kallas' salary, about $950,000 had been deposited in the couple's bank accounts since 2000, according to court documents.
When investigators searched the Kallas residence in June 2008, they discovered a hidden floor safe that contained more than $177,000 in cash and two dozen official immigration files, prosecutors said.
Kallas faces a maximum term of 256 years in federal prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. on Aug. 9.
His 41-year-old wife pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering on Nov. 16. She is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Kallas joined ICE's predecessor agency in June 1998, but has been on unpaid leave since January 2007, Mrozek said.
