A United States Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty in federal court to having told multiple women to expose their breasts during interviews to gain admission to the country.
Shane Millan, 53, was charged in August 2024 with four misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to court records reviewed by USA TODAY. According to court records, Millan pleaded guilty to two of the charges on Friday at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
Millan admitted that he told multiple women to show him their breasts under the guise of a legitimate search during virtual processing calls before allowing them access to the country, court documents show.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 7 and Millan faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment, saying, “As a matter of policy, CBP doesn’t comment on former employees, nor criminal cases that are ongoing.”
A string of abuse
According to court documents, Millan’s first incident occurred around Aug. 10, 2023.
Prosecutors said Millan told a woman he was interviewing to expose herself to him over webcam, “purportedly as part of a legitimate search of her person incident to her admission into the United States.”
But prosecutors said the search was done purely for his satisfaction.
Prosecutors then said Millan used the same tactic with three other women on Aug. 25, 2023.
Court records also say Millan used his government computer to look for phrases in Spanish that he could use for his actions, some of which include:
- “I will also need you to lift your bra, please”
- “Your file says you have tattoos across your chest”
- “To verify, I will need you to lift your shirt, please”
- “I will indeed you to lift your shirt and bra also, please”
- “Can you lift it higher please”
Millan’s attorney was not immediately available to comment on the guilty plea.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
