INS Official, Others Indicted in Smuggling
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Five people, including a senior Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector, were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of conspiring to smuggle illegal immigrants from the Philippines into the U.S. through LAX.
Maximiano Ramos, 52, a 19-year INS veteran; Eshraga Nugud, 41; Gloria Acosta, 47; and Vinzon Perez, 57, were arrested last week. A fifth defendant, Rita Cunanan, 42, is a fugitive.
Prosecutors said the suspects took advantage of a rule that allows international passengers en route to a third country to stop briefly in the U.S. while connecting to other flights.
The illegal immigrants allegedly paid as much as $10,000 each to be whisked past security.
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