A former United States deportation officer was sentenced today in downtown Los Angeles to one year’s probation for illegally using his position to send hundreds of payments to his wife’s vehicle repair company.
Jacques Polzin, 40, of Norwalk was found guilty in August 2024 of eight federal counts of conflict of interest, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Polzin was formerly 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 L.A. federal court.
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.
Along with his term of probation, the defendant was ordered to pay a $500 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.