The Columbian

A Portland man who attempted to bribe an immigration officer in a Vancouver parking lot into deporting the man’s own wife was sentenced Monday to four months in federal custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.

Antonio Oswaldo Burgos, 48, pleaded guilty in November to one count of bribery of a public official. In addition to his prison sentence, Burgos will serve three years of supervised release.

On May 24, 2018, Burgos followed a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s vehicle from the ICE office in Portland to a parking lot in Vancouver. There, he offered to pay the officer to deport his wife. Burgos met his wife in El Salvador, and they were in the process of getting a divorce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The officer declined Burgos’ offer and reported the event to the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility.

Then, on May 31, 2018, the officer made a recorded phone call to Burgos with the assistance of an ICE Office of Professional Responsibility team. Burgos offered $3,000 to have his wife removed from the country. They spoke again, in another recorded call, June 5, 2018, where Burgos again offered money to have his wife deported and to discuss logistics, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Burgos and the officer met in person on June 6, 2018, where Burgos offered $4,000 if the ICE would deport his wife and his wife’s minor child from a previous relationship, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Burgos was arrested later that month.