In exchange for deferring the deportations of immigrants, at least one U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Detroit received thousands of dollars in cash bribes, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade's office says.
Clifton Divers, 48, of Detroit, is charged with "misusing his position" as an immigration agent s "to obtain numerous deferrals of deportation and other immigration benefits for non-citizen foreign nationals in return for over $5,000 in cash payments, free legal
services and other things of value," McQuade's office said in a statement Thursday.
He's additionally charged with conspiring to impair, obstruct and defeat the lawful function of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by dishonest means; and destruction and
falsification of records to obstruct an official investigation by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The alleged crimes occurred between 2009 to 2015 in coordination with Birmingham immigration attorney Charles T. Busse, 58, whose accused of supplying the bribes in order to get special treatment for his foreign clients. Busse operates law offices in Dearborn and Farmington Hills.
It's claimed Busse would received thousands in attorney fees from clients and their families, who were facing deportation.
The immigrants noted in the federal indictment came from Mexico, Iraq and Albania.
In each case, the immigrants falsely claimed to have information about drug trafficking or other crimes federal agents had interest in. They were sometimes coached on what to say if interrogated and even forged statements in order to obtain fraudulent deportation deferrals from Divers, according to the federal complaint.
The deferrals would endure the participants could remain in the U.S. for at least another year.
Divers was forced to turn in his gun and badge when the allegations came out in September 2015 but has continued to work with ICE in a "non-investigative administrative capacity," ICE spokesman said. "ICE employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
"The agency takes all allegations of employee misconduct very seriously and will respond appropriately based on the investigative findings."
Busse is charged with conspiring to impair, obstruct and defeat the lawful function of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by dishonest means; paying bribes to a federal official; and tax evasion.
He faces up to 15 years in prison and Divers 20 years.
"Acts of corruption within the Department of Homeland Security represent a threat to our national security, and the Office of Inspector General is committed to doing everything possible to eradicate those who choose to place our country at risk," said Giovanni Tiano, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General. "Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have some of the finest agents in law enforcement and this arrest today is not indicative of the selfless work the fine men and women from HSI perform every day."
Clifton Divers indictment: