Former Border Patrol agent sentenced to 18 months for taking a $5,000 bribe

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 42-year-old Fernando Castillo will spend the next 18 months in prison for bribery of a public official. Court officials say Castillo, who formerly worked as a Border Patrol agent, took $5,000 from a "citizen of El Salvador and Mexico" in exchange for immigration paperwork.

"Castillo made false entries in the individual’s immigration file and printed the fraudulent document," court officials explained in a news release sent out Thursday afternoon. "Shortly after he met with the individual, agents apprehended Castillo in possession of the false documentation."

Castillo had pled guilty in February 2024. ABC-7 covered his arrest and his indictment when they happened last year.

After serving his 18 months in prison, Castillo will be subject to one year of supervised release and a "$100 special assessment," according to court officials.