A former special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison Tuesday.
Joohoon David Lee pleaded guilty in December to accepting thousands of dollars from a man who had been accused of trafficking a woman to the U.S. to be a sex slave.
Prosecutors say Lee received money from the Korean man who was only identified in court documents as H.S.
Lee, who currently lives in Las Vegas, was a human trafficking investigator in Los Angeles. In March of 2012 the former special agent interviewed a woman who said she entered the United States to be a sex slave for H.S.
Authorities said Lee traveled to Korea and was paid a total of $13,000 in cash along with hotel and entertainment expenses from the businessman identified as H.S.
Once back in the U.S., Lee wrote a report on the investigation into the H.S. case and said "no evidence found and victim statement contradicts. Case closed. No further action required."
"There will be zero tolerance for public officials who abuse their authority and violate the public's trust. Guarding against illegal or unethical behavior by those in position of public trust is not an option, it is an obligation," Joe Jeronimo, ICE's office of Professional Responsibility special agent said in a statement.
