USCIS Officer Arrested

A federal immigration officer was arrested forallegedly issuing a visa to an undocumented immigrant and forging a visaadmission stamp for use on other official documents, authorities said.

Maria Barillas, who is a U.S. Citizenship andImmigration officer in Los Angeles, was taken into custody last week onstate fraud and forgery charges. She was released on $25,000 bail andwas scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 4.

Prosecutors said Barillas is accused offorging and counterfeiting a U.S. government immigration visa admissionstamp and issuing a false visa to an undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua.She also is believed to have stolen and defaced federal documents,accessed government computers without authorization and identity theft,authorities said. Click here.

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