A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorney pleaded guilty Friday after prosecutors said he forged a document to make it look like a Mexican citizen who wanted to stay in the U.S. was not eligible to do so.
Jonathan M. Love pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of depriving the rights of the Mexican man after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
The case involved Ignacio Lanuza, who said he was in the country illegally but eligible for an exception because he was married to an American citizen and had been in the country for more than 10 consecutive years.
Love acknowledged in federal court that he got the case in 2009 and forged a document making it look like Lanuza had left the country around 2000 and did not meet the eligibility requirement.
The plea agreement states that Love can't practice law for 10 years and must pay Lanuza US$12,000 in restitution.
The plea deal calls for a sentence of 30 days in custody followed by a year of supervision and 100 hours of community service. However, a judge will have the final say on his sentence at an April 20 hearing.
ICE officials say Love resigned from the agency in November.
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