A Seminole man, Pedro Thiessen, was arrested Thursday in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged bribery of a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent.
According to the criminal complaint, the 70-year-old Thiessen, failed to declare more than $10,000 when entering the United States at the Ysleta Port of Entry in October 2022. Thiessen filed a petition to recover the funds and was interviewed by an HSI agent in January 2023 regarding the petition. An affidavit attached to the complaint alleges that Thiessen offered to pay the agent an unknown amount of money if the agent assisted with the recovery. The agent reported the offer to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
The affidavit alleges that Thiessen again proposed a monetary offer to the agent during a phone call on Feb. 6. On Feb. 15, the agent arranged a meeting with Thiessen for the following day. According to the court documents, Thiessen presented the agent with $1,000 at that meeting and was immediately arrested.
Thiessen is charged with bribery of public officials. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.