Politics & Government
Former Border Patrol Agent Pleads Guilty to Harboring Illegal Immigrant Father
Marcos Gerardo Manzano Jr., a former Border Patrol agent at the Imperial Beach border patrol entered a guilty plea at a court hearing last Friday for harboring his Illegal immigrant father.
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the former U.S. Border Patrol agent who was arrested in January while working at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station, pleaded guilty July 15 to harboring his father who had federal warrants and an illegal immigrant in his San Ysidro home.
An agent since Aug. 2007, Marcos Gerardo Manzano Jr. entered his guilty plea in a court hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Jeffery Miller.
Manzano Jr. was charged with harboring illegal immigrants and making false statements to fellow Border Patrol Agents, saying he was unaware of his father’s whereabouts.
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Since his arrest, the department of Customs and Border Protection suspended Manzano Jr. indefinitely without pay.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 12. The guilty plea carries a maximum 10-year sentence.
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The agent’s father Marcos Manzano Sr., a wanted fugitive, was being harbored in the agent’s home. Manzano Sr. is currently in custody on charges of illegally re-entering the United States after being previously deported and for possession of methamphetamine.
Hours after Manzano Jr. was arrested on Jan. 10, FBI and SWAT agents raided his home to find Jose-Alfredo Garrido-Morena hiding in an underground room beneath the backyard patio.
Authorities said the room was discovered by removing a concrete slab in the patio. Methamphetamine was also discovered which authorities believe belonged to the agent's father.
The elder Manzano surrendered to authorities at the Chula Vista Border Patrol station after remaining at large for weeks.
Border Patrol agent Jerry Conlin said in an e-mail that the CBP does not plan on releasing a statement regarding the guilty plea of Manzano Jr.
However, in a previous statement made by CBP officials the federal agency said “CBP has placed great emphasis on integrity, and does not tolerate actions that would tarnish the reputation of our agency. CBP has and will continue to cooperate with any investigations of alleged unlawful conduct on or off duty, by any of its employees."
Frank Regan, Manzano Jr’s. attorney, declined to comment.
