A former U.S. Border Patrol agent has pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe for smuggling an illegal immigrant into New Mexico.
Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Gabriel Burke, of Deming, entered his plea Tuesday in an Albuquerque court.
They say Burke was accused of accepting a $1,000 bribe between December 2011 and February 2012 to allow an illegal immigrant from Mexico across the U.S. border.
At the time, Burke was assigned to the Deming Border Patrol Station.
Burke was released under pretrial supervision pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Prosecutors say Burke is facing up to a 15-year prison sentence, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.