JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former immigration officer has pleaded guilty to lying to a government agent and concealing his relationship with a foreign national from Nicaragua during an investigation, according to the Department of Justice.
Paul Reynolds Friel, Jr., 47, of Orange Park, faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, DOJ said.
His co-defendant, Marisol Del Carmen Rodriguez, 40, also of Orange Park but originally from Nicaragua, pleaded guilty to possessing a visa obtained by means of a false statement, according to DOJ. Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.
Rodriguez entered the United States from Nicaragua in December 2011, according to court documents. She was on an immigrant visa originally issued by the State Department. That visa was reportedly issued based on false statements she gave that indicated she wanted to remain permanently in the U.S. with her American spouse, Luis Aguilar.
According to court records, Friel knew Rodriguez from his previous trips to Nicaragua. DOJ alleges that Friel was the one to make reservations and pay for her airfare to the U.S.
Eight months before she came to the U.S., Rodriguez divorced her husband and lived romantically together with Friel. By March 2012, the pair had been married and had a child together, according to court records.
In December 2011, when Friel was an immigration officer, and during a background check for national security clearance, he did not tell investigators about Rodriguez and his relationship with her.
Aguilar, Rodriguez's former spouse, has previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud and is awaiting sentencing.
A sentencing date for Friel and Rodriguez has not been set.
