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INS AGENT CHARGED IN RANSOM SCHEME
An agent in the Los Angeles INS office has been charged by federal authorities with conspiracy, bribery and transporting and harboring undocumented migrants.  According to the government, Jesse Gardona schemed with a convicted drug dealer to released migrants from INS custody and hold them until US relatives paid a ransom for their release. 
Gardona, a 15 year veteran of the INS, worked in the anti-smuggling squad at the Los Angeles INS office.  At the time of his arrest, he was in the process of moving from Los Angeles to Fresno as part of a promotion.  He is free on 0,000 bond.  
Jose Quintanilla Guzman, with whom Gardona is accusing of conspiring, was convicted of drug trafficking in 1990.  He was in custody at the time he was charged, having been arrested last year for attempting to enter the US without authorization.  
According to associates of Quintanilla, Gardona was sending him people to hold for ransom in repayment of a debt.  The associates say Gardona borrowed ,000 to ,000 to start a pay phone and vending machine business.  Gardona usually received about 0 of the ,000 ransom.  Some of the migrants whose release he arranged have been contacted, and have positively identified Gardona.  They also say that he threatened them to not reveal how they were released.  
Gardona is also being investigated on suspicion of selling work cards to undocumented immigrants.  If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.