11 September 2012. Thomas Silva, a nine-year veteran Customs agent was arraigned Monday on corruption charges after being accused of allowing his brother-in-law, Julio Cesar Landaverde, into the United States. Thomas Silva allowed Landaverde to drive through the San Ysidro crossing in April, despite knowing there was a warrant out for Landaverde’s arrest, prosecutors said. Landaverde is a convicted migrant smuggler. Prosecutors claimed that Silva earned roughly $7,300 from a fraudulent insurance claim involving the theft of his personal vehicle. Documents show the truck had been driven into Mexico about 10 days prior to the alleged theft and had not returned to the U.S. It is also alleged that he inflated the price of the vehicle in the insurance claim.
