Customs and Border Protection Employee Charged with Making False Statements

TUCSON, AZ—A 5-count indictment was unsealed today against Nora Liliana Skinner Reyes, 36, of Rio Rico, Ariz., who is currently employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as a Paralegal Specialist at the Nogales, Ariz., Port of Entry. The May 2009 indictment charges Reyes with violations of False Statements to Government Agents or Agencies. The indictment was unsealed after Reyes made her initial appearance today in federal court in Tucson. She was released on her own recognizance following her court hearing.

The indictment alleges that Reyes made false statements to a federal contract investigator conducting an employee security clearance re-certification interview. The false statements related to a previous investigation by Bank of America, her part-time employer, for misconduct involving theft of bank funds. Reyes denied to the federal investigator that she had been the subject of any investigation or misconduct, when she knew she had been. That misconduct led to her termination from the bank. The indictment further alleges that Reyes included false information on a Declaration for Federal Employment document.

A conviction for False Statements to Government Agents or Agencies carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, a $ 250,000 fine or both. In determining an actual sentence, U.S. District Chief Judge John M. Roll will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Professional Responsibility. The prosecution is being handled by James T. Lacey, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER: CR-09-0835-TUC-JMR-HCE
RELEASE NUMBER: 2009-191(Reyes)

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