Florida immigration officer gets 4 years for taking bribe

MIAMI – A Florida immigration officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for taking a bribe from a woman he accused of using a fake marriage to gain U.S. residency.

Federal court records show 34-year-old Jovany Perez was sentenced in Miami last week. He pleaded guilty in July to receiving a bribe while a public official.

Perez was a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer when he determined in April a woman he was interviewing was lying about her marriage. Perez offered to help the woman but not in his office. They met in a restaurant parking lot, where authorities say Perez fondled her and suggested they have sex. She refused.

Investigators say Perez then said he could fix things for $2,000. The woman contacted authorities. Perez was arrested later after taking the money.