Illegal alien gets 18 months for offering ICE agent $100G to release him

CONCORD - A native of the Dominican Republic who pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe a law enforcement officer to secure his release from custody will serve an extra 18 months of incarceration as a result of his actions.

Marlon Aramis Suazo-Santos, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to bribe a public official in November.

According to the charging documents and statements made in court, U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement ("ICE") personnel on July 18 transported Suazo-Santos from Berlin to Manchester where he was to complete a term of incarceration resulting from a 2020 federal conviction and was subject to removal to the Dominican Republic.

While he was being transported to ICE's Manchester facility, Suazo-Santos offered $100,000 to the ICE officer in exchange for his release. The ICE officer promptly reported the bribe offer to other Homeland Security personnel, and the transport vehicle was equipped with an electronic audio recording device. That same day, while the same ICE officer transported Suazo-Santos to a local detention facility, Suazo-Santos made additional inculpatory statements regarding the bribe to secure his release which were recorded. Suazo-Santos remained in ICE custody until he was arrested on a criminal complaint on Aug. 15. A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment in September.

"Mr. Suazo-Santos sought to bribe an official to secure his release from federal custody and avoid deportation," said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. "At a time when ICE officers are facing unprecedented attacks, threats, and vilification, the ICE officer displayed the highest standard of integrity in the discharge of his official duties. Mr. Suazo-Santos will now serve an extra 18 months in prison as a result."

"Suazo-Santos was convicted, served time for fraud, and was due to be deported but instead of facing the consequences of his criminal actions, he attempted to bribe government officials to escape," Krol added. "Thanks to the integrity of the ICE officers involved, Suazo-Santos was caught once again and will now serve additional prison time and face inevitable deportation."