Ex-Immigration Officer In Delco Pleads Guilty To Taking Bribe

PHILADELPHIA — A former immigration officer who lives in Delaware County pleaded guilty Wednesday to soliciting bribes on the job.

Amara Dukuly, of Woodlyn, worked for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency that oversees the country's naturalization process.

Dukuly, 44, solicited bribes for about a decade, promising to help people obtain help with their immigration status, according to federal prosecutors.

He received $6,000 last April in Delaware County, claiming he could help someone remove all "terrorist" references from their immigration file, authorities said.

Dukuly received the cash during the meeting, which was filmed, according to court documents.

Federal authorities say that Dukuly did not have the power to get the "terrorist" label removed.

He was arrested in June and changed with bribery of a public official.

Dukuly pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the bribery of a public official in exchange for an official act on Wednesday at federal court in Philadelphia.

He faces up to 15 years in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for July 14.

Dukuly's listed attorneys did not immediately return comment to Patch.