Customs and Border Protection Employee Pleads Guilty to Making False Document

TUCSON, AZ—Nora Liliana Skinner-Reyes, 36, of Rio Rico, Ariz., pleaded guilty yesterday to one felony count of False Document to a Government Agency, in federal district court in Tucson. At the time she was charged in a May 2009, indictment, Skinner-Reyes was employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as a Paralegal Specialist at the Nogales, Ariz., Port of Entry.

Skinner-Reyes admitted that she included false information on a Declaration for Federal Employment document as part of an employee security clearance re-certification interview. The false information related to a previous investigation by Bank of America, her part-time employer, for misconduct involving theft of bank funds. That misconduct led to her termination from the bank.

Sentencing is set before U.S. District Chief Judge Roll on February 2, 2010. A conviction for False Document 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, Chief Judge 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.

The investigation 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: 2009-296 (Skinner-Reyes)