A Mexican citizen has been charged with attempting to bribe a U.S. Border Patrol agent after being apprehended near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Court records indicate that on February 8, 2025, 29-year-old Samuel Mendoza-Torres was taken into custody along with another individual near the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station. While being transported to the station, Mendoza-Torres allegedly offered the agent $400, reportedly asking, “Can we fix this?”
According to officials, Mendoza-Torres later admitted to assisting individuals in crossing the border and acknowledged that offering money to a Border Patrol agent was illegal.
Mendoza-Torres is currently being held in custody pending trial, for which a date has not yet been set. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, and Chief Patrol Agent Walter “Neil” Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector.
