Terrence Berg, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, announced that the former Assistant Director of the Detroit office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was sentenced yesterday to 37 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 for receiving bribes and defrauding the United States.

Making the announcement along with U.S. Attorney Berg were Armando Lopez, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, and Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Roy M. Bailey, age 55, of Romulus, Michigan was sentenced by United States District Judge Julian Abele Cook, Jr.

Bailey was convicted by plea in September of 2008 on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to defraud the United States and misprision of felony. The offenses took place between 2000 and 2004, when Bailey held the position of INS District Director and, thereafter, Field Office Director for the Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention and Removal Operations division. In those positions, Roy Bailey was the responsible for the detention of all immigration aliens in this district pending the completion of their deportation proceedings.

Bailey admitted accepting cash, construction services, casino chips, free meals and other things of value from numerous individuals who were seeking immigration benefits for themselves, their relatives, associates, employees and clients. In return, Bailey allowed those he favored to be released from INS/ICE custody, to avoid deportation from the United States and to obtain, through fraud, immigration benefits to which they were not entitled. In addition, Bailey failed to report or otherwise intercede with one of his employees, former INS/ICE Detention Officer Patrick Wynne, who stole more than hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from immigration detainees over the course of more than four years.

Mr. Berg commended the agents from the Department of Homeland Security- Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for conducting an exhaustive investigation which resulted in the conviction of Assistant District Director Bailey and several other government officials.

Mr. Berg stated, "A public servant betrays both his office and the people when he uses the power of his office to enrich himself. Today's prison sentence should be a lesson to any who would misuse public power for personal gain."

Armando Lopez, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, said "Any criminal conduct by DHS employees will not be tolerated. All allegations of corruption will be thoroughly investigated by DHS OIG."

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Judge.