ICE OPR led investigation results in the sentencing of a former south Texas attorney for his role in a detainee bribery scheme

LAREDO, Texas – A former south Texas attorney was sentenced to more than two and a half years in federal prison following his convictions of conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery of a public official.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Professional and Responsibility (OPR) jointly conducted the investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Harlingen and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Roel Alanis, 32, of McAllen, Texas, was sentenced March 22 to 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted how the serious violation of his conduct and the series of continuing bribes in return for noncitizen rosters he received merited some incarceration time. Alanis pleaded guilty on April 27, 2021.

According to court documents, at the time of his plea, Alanis admitted he paid immigration detention employees for noncitizen detainee roster lists. Benito Barrientez, 43, of Lyford, Texas, and Damian Ortiz, 31, of Weslaco, Texas, were two employees of the Willacy County Regional Detention Center who sold the lists to Alanis or his sister - Cynthia Alanis, 28, of Los Fresnos, Texas - who was also an attorney in the Rio Grande Valley. The detainee lists were from the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville and the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos. They contained names, dates of birth, country of origin and A-numbers of detainees. The attorneys would then visit them, or instruct others to do so, in order to solicit them to hire his law firm for representation in immigration proceedings. Barrientos, Ortiz and Exy Adelaida Gomez, 45, of Los Fresnos, were also convicted and are pending sentencing. Each faces up to 15 years in federal prison and possible $250,000 in maximum fines. Cynthia Alanis was previously sentenced.

Roel Alaniz was permitted to remain on bond and was ordered to surrender at the end of April.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Oscar Ponce, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.