A 41-year-old U.S. Border Patrol Agent, identified as Ramon Heriberto Cerda Jr., has pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. government by using his official duty hours to run a private business. He confessed on Monday, May 18, in a federal court in Del Rio before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Cordova, as announced by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons, supporting the Trump administration‘s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

An official update shared on the official X handle of San Antonio’s FBI declared, “The #FBISanAntonio Del Rio Border Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from @CBPSouthTexas and @USBPChiefDRT, remains committed to rooting out Fraud at every level, including by those sworn to uphold the law. A former U.S. Border Patrol Agent has pleaded guilty to defrauding taxpayers.”

According to justice.gov, the U.S. Border Patrol agent owned and ran a business known as El Eagle Mail while he continued spending official hours running a personal business and receiving biweekly payments from the government. While he was expected to be in the field, he was observed at his residence during scheduled work hours on multiple dates in February and March 2025.

On April 22, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) installed two surveillance cameras to monitor Cerda’s activities closely. One camera captured his home’s view, while the other captured the El Eagle Mail business, which was situated about 15 to 20 minutes away. CCTV footage recorded between April 22 and June 28, 2025, showed that the agent remained at his residence until approximately 2 p.m. on weekdays before traveling to his business, where he stayed until 4 p.m..

Nevertheless, during the same period, he submitted biweekly timecards, insisting that he worked for the USBP from 6 a.m. to 4 pm, totaling 399. 58 hours of pay between April 22 and June 28, 2025. He was paid nearly $17,724.74 for those reported hours. In addition to the surveillance video, the FBI also obtained location data for both Cerda’s government-issued phone and his personal phone.

The data analysis indicated that Cerda was present at or near his residence during official hours, and records showed no activity indicating that he went to the Eagle Pass USBP station to pick up a government vehicle for his assigned transportation duties. Further investigative system also verified the surveillance video.

Ramon Heriberto Cerda Jr. faced charges of defrauding the government in October 2025 for four counts of wire fraud, four counts of false statement or representation made to an agency or department of the United States, and three counts of receiving stolen government money or property.

After pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, he could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years, along with a maximum fine of $250,000. A federal district judge will decide the final sentence after evaluating U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors outlined by law. The case investigated by the FBI is being prosecuted by the Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II.