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Florida immigration officer charged with taking bribe

Posted at 9:07 AM, May 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-22 09:07:27-04

MIAMI (AP) -- A Florida immigration officer has been charged with taking a bribe from a woman he accused of using a fake marriage to gain U.S. residency.

Federal court documents filed Thursday in Miami show 34-year-old Jovany Perez is charged with receiving a bribe while a public official. Perez is an officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

A complaint charges Perez offered to help the woman but not in his office. They met in a restaurant parking lot, where the complaint says Perez fondled her and suggested they have sex. She refused.

Investigators say Perez then said he could fix things for $2,000. The woman contacted authorities and Perez was arrested at a later meeting after taking the money.

Perez's attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.