TEXAS: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisor in El Paso was arrested for allegedly lying that his government-issued firearm was stolen in a home burglary, federal officials.
Supervisory CBP Officer Marco Antonio Aveytia, 45, has pleaded not guilty after a federal grand jury last week indicted him on one count of falsification of records in a federal investigation.
Aveytia allegedly lied on a federal firearms tracking system that his weapon had been stolen from his home on Jan. 26, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Texas officials said in a news release. It was not disclosed what happened to the firearm.
CBP Internal Affairs agents and FBI agents on the West Texas Border Corruption Task Force arrested Aveytia on Monday, CBP officials said.
CBP officials said Aveytia has been place on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case. Officials said that Aveytia works at the Tornillo border crossing and has been with CBP since 2003.
“CBP stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission, and the overwhelming majority of CBP employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe,” CBP said in a statement. “We do not tolerate corruption or abuse within our ranks, and we fully cooperate with any criminal or administrative investigation of alleged misconduct by any of our personnel, on or off duty.”
If convicted, Aveytia faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, authorities said. A trial date is pending.
