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New details emerge in custom officer's arrest
Posted: 11.04.2009 at 3:23 PM
Sergio Chapa

Sergio is KGBT's Interactive Manager and a reporter for VALLEYCENTRAL.COM.

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Read more: Local, Crime, Rudy Thrace Soliz Iii, Customs and Border Protection, Customs, Cbp, Corruption, Illegal Immigrants, Illegal Immigration, Smuggling, Bribery, Gateway International Bridge, Brownsville, Cameron County, Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Mexico

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Court documents released on Wednesday revealed new details regarding the October 29th arrest of a Brownsville customs officer.

Federal authorities arrested U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Rudy Trace Soliz III on an immigrant smuggling charge.

Prosecutors released few details in the case other than saying he had been charged with bringing in and willfully transporting an undocumented alien.

Action 4 News obtained court records that revealed Soliz is accused of letting illegal immigrants through his Brownsville post.

A criminal complaint filed in the case but not made available until Wednesday shows that federal officials began their investigation into Soliz's activities on October 28th.

An undocumented immigrant allegedly told federal investigators that he/she had been allowed into the United States by Soliz at a Brownsville bridge.

Soliz allegedly admitted in a October 29th interview with investigators that he had allowed at least six illegal immigrants through his post between January 2009 and October 2009.

The Brownsville customs officer resigned from his post following his arrest.

Court records show that Soliz posted 15 percent of a $100,000 bond to secure his release until his trial.