Former immigration enforcement officer admits to bringing woman into US illegally

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer admitted on Friday that she brought a Mexican woman into the U.S. illegally.

Forty-year-old Rhonda Lee Walker signed a guilty plea deal for conspiracy to encourage or induce a foreign national to enter the United States, acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery said in a statement.

Walker entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas, according to the statement.

Lowery said the former officer allowed the woman in through the Laredo port of entry using a co-worker’s computer login information to scan the woman’s documents before entering the country on Jan. 2. 

Walker allegedly wanted the woman to work as her nanny in her home, according to the release.

Walker then allegedly lied to authorities and said there was no plan for the woman to work in her home, adding that the woman was her biological aunt. 

In exchange for Walker’s plea, the felony counts of lying to authorities and illegally transporting the woman were dropped, according to a report from The Associated Press. 

Walker will be sentenced on Aug. 9 by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo.

The former CBP officer could face a fine of up to $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison.