Overview

• A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas returned the indictment on June 24 and it was unsealed on July 2 during the defendants’ first hearing in Houston.
• Charges name bail agents Leopoldo and Anthony Benitez of A Way Out Bail Bonds, Isaac Sierra of International Bonding Company, and ICE deportation officer Jose Angel Muniz.
• Prosecutors allege the bondsmen paid Muniz to lift immigration detainers on undocumented detainees in local jails in exchange for bribes between April 2023 and March 2024.
• Each defendant faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and fines equal to either the alleged bribes’ value or $250,000, whichever is greater.
• The case was investigated by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the FBI with support from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.