Ex-Attorney Sent to Prison for Bribery Scheme Involving Immigrants: Reports

DETROIT, MI — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Birmingham attorney to more than three years in prison for bribery and tax evasion, according to media reports. Charles Busse, 59, of Birmingham pleaded guilty in November to four felony charges stemming from the bribery scheme, in which he paid a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "to obtain deportation deferrals and other immigration benefits for his clients," the Detroit News reported.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn sentenced Busswe, 59, to 37 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Busse's clients included people from Mexico, Iraq and Albania who wanted to immigrate to the U.S., according to federal officials. He was charged with taking thousands of dollars from those clients between 2009 and 2015 to pay for the illegal benefits, the Detroit News reported.

Busse was charged with paying the ICE agent more than $5,000 in cash, and providing free legal services, Michigan Live reported. The agent, Clifron Divers, was indicted for conspiracy to defraud the government, bribery of public officials and witnesses, and destruction or alteration of records related to a federal investigation. His case is unresolved.

Busse also pleaded guilty to criminal tax evasion and for failing to report cash payments of more than $10,000, according to the Detroit News. Along with the prison sentence, he was ordered to pay more than $575,000 to the Internal Revenue Service in unpaid taxes and penalties.

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