A Casa Grande man who acknowledged providing surveillance during drug smuggling efforts while he worked for the U.S. Border Patrol has been scheduled to 7½ years in prison.
A federal judge in Tucson on Monday sentenced 41-year-old Alberto Michel, whose plea agreement said he was paid $24,000 while engaged in a conspiracy to traffic in marijuana.
Michel previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in marijuana and to accepting a bribe as a public official.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Michel began working for the Border Patrol in 2009 and by 2016 had been promoted within an intelligence unit of the Tucson Sector.
The office says that meant he had a higher security clearance and had access to information regarding high-level law enforcement and national security operations and techniques.
