ICE official sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for corruption

Constantine Peter Kallas, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prosecutor, was sentenced Monday to 17 years and six months in prison for receiving half a million dollars in bribes from undocumented immigrants, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The former ICE official faced a total of 36 counts of corruption and bribery, fraud and obstruction of justice.

In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered Kallas to pay $$296,865 in restitution after fraudulently receiving workers' compensation benefits.

Over a period of nearly 5 years, Kallas, with the help of his wife Maria, were complicit in a scam in which they created and delivered false documents to immigrants so they could live and work in the U.S. He also disappeared files of the undocumented immigrants from whom he received bribes.

Authorities say the couple had more than $950,000 in their bank account when they were arrested in 2008.

Maria Kallas pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering in November 2009. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2 of this year.