Top Immigration Attorney Charged With Taking Bribes
June 27, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
A top federal immigration attorney and his wife were arrested Thursday on suspicion of accepting bribes from immigrants seeking to remain in the United States, according to the FBI.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Chief Counsel Constantine Peter Kallas, 38, and his wife, Maria Kallas, 39, both of Alta Loma, were arrested by FBI agents at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland after they allegedly accepted a $20,000 bribe from an immigrant seeking documents to stay in the country, said U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Thom Mrozek.
They are also accused of accepting thousands of dollars from other illegal immigrants and green card holders in exchange for immigration benefits, Mrozek said.
Kallas, who has been with ICE since June 1998 and worked at ICE’s office in Los Angeles, has been on unpaid leave since January 2007.
After the Kallas’ arrest, federal agents raided their home, Mrozek said.
According to an affidavit filed with the search warrant, the Kallases took thousands of dollars from illegal immigrants and green card holders in exchange for immigration benefits.
The couple are also accused of creating two shell companies Botno Inc. and Mississippi Valley Consulting Inc. to file employment petitions with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as well as the U.S. Department of Labor.
The petitions allegedly contained false information that the immigrants were being hired to occupy skilled labor positions such as engineers, analysts and human resource managers.
