Ohio Police Officer Confesses To Scamming Illegal Immigrants Trying To Get Visas

Cincinnati, OH – Police officer Jose Laboy-Laviena was confessed to scamming the illegal immigrants seeking to obtain a U Visa. The document allows illegal immigrants to stay in the United States if they are victims of crime, according to WLWT News. The Ohio law enforcement officers reportedly took money to file a false report listing the man as a victim of a crime.

Laboy-Laviena was also accused of taking money to fix a DUI ticket of a friend of the man listed as a victim on the false police report, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. After the friend was convicted and ultimately deported, authorities were contacted about the officer and an investigation was launched.

The man once referred to as the face of the Cincinnati Police Department in the Hispanic community is now a convicted felon. He served as a law enforcement officer for six years before resigning during a court hearing. Laboy-Laviena reportedly had a base salary of $63,140 in 2011.

As a part of his plea bargain, Jose Laboy-Laviena plead guilty to the reduced charges of tampering with records and theft. The fourth-degree felonies could have put him behind bars with men he had once arrested. Prosecutors dismissed two bribery and theft in office charges. He will reportedly serve up to a year in a local jail. If the officer had been convicted on the original charges, the he could have spent nine years in prison.

Assistant Prosecutor Bill Anderson noted that additional victims came forward after the Cincinnati police officer’s arrest. Had the plea deal not worked out, Anderson’s office was prepared to file more charges against Laboy-Laviena. The father of three was accused of taking thousands of dollars in exchange for promises made to illegal immigrants.