A former United States deportation officer was found guilty by a jury in downtown Los Angeles Friday of illegally using his position to send hundreds of payments to his wife’s vehicle repair company.
Jacques Polzin, 40, of Norwalk, was found guilty of eight federal counts of conflict of interest, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Polzin formerly was employed as a deportation officer at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During his employment at ICE, Polzin served as a vehicle control officer, whose job was to facilitate service and repairs for ICE vehicles.
From at least November 2017 to September 2020, Polzin illegally sent service and parts orders from ICE to a Santa Fe Springs-based automotive repair company named JNJ Auto Repair LLC. The company was registered to Polzin’s wife.
Evidence shows Polzin had a financial interest in the company. He was involved in establishing and investing in the business, shared estimates from competitors with JNJ Auto, so that it could beat the price and win the ICE contract, and was paid by JNJ Auto, according to evidence presented at a four-day trial.
In total, Polzin was involved in more than 250 transactions between ICE and JNJ Auto for ICE vehicles. Polzin performed these actions while hiding his connection to JNJ Auto, the jury heard.
U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a March 10 sentencing hearing, at which time Polzin will face up to 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.