Crime & Safety

O.C.-Based Immigration Officer Accepted Bribes of Cash and Egg Rolls

Mai Nhu Nguyen was sentenced to 30 months.

An Orange County-based immigration officer was sentenced for 30 months in federal prison for accepting bribes -- cash and in at least one case, egg rolls -- from immigrants seeking citizenship.

Mai Nhu Nguyen, 48, of Irvine, worked for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services out of the Santa Ana office for eight years and is now on leave. From 2011 through June 2013, Nguyen solicited and took bribes from Vietnamese immigrants, federal prosecutors said

In one case, Nguyen took $1,000 from an immigrant seeking a “green card” and 200 egg rolls from an immigrant seeking citizenship, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Nguyen had the power to approve or deny applications for immigration benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney.

The case against Nguyen was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.

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PHOTO Patch file photo.

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