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July 1, 2004

NATASHA KORECKI Staff Reporter

A senior inspector with U.S. Customs and Border Protection used his position to extort illegal immigrants and in one case threatened to deport a family if he wasn't paid $10,000, federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

Robert Butman, 40, of Niles is accused of threatening a man whose entry documents had expired, leaving a phone message saying he was disappointed in the man's refusal to pay the $10,000.

"I found you before," Butman said. "I'll find you again."

Butman then mentioned the name of the man's wife, who was pregnant. The man called the DuPage County sheriff's office, which started an investigation that later involved federal agents.

Butman operated the scheme with the help of a middleman who eventually acted as a government informant and was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, prosecutors said. Butman was arrested at O'Hare on Tuesday afternoon by FBI special agents. He was released late Wednesday on a $50,000 bond secured to his home.

Butman worked as an inspector at O'Hare for 10 years and had access to computer records and U.S. Customs documents.

Beginning in 2000, Butman and the middleman -- named "Individual B" in the complaint -- asked for $1,000 to $7,000 to fix papers for at least five immigrants, allowing them to stay in the country legally, prosecutors said.

Butman then took the scheme to another level. He told Individual B he would look through documents to find people who entered the country legally but had illegally overstayed their visas, the complaint states. Butman wanted to work with Individual B to call them at home and demand money from them or threaten them with deportation if they refused, according to the complaint. Butman allegedly shared some of the money with the middleman.

The FBI later contacted Individual B, who agreed to record telephone calls with Butman. Butman can be heard making efforts to cover up the alleged crimes, saying he would tell investigators he wasn't bribing anyone but actually using Individual B as an informant, prosecutors said.

"Don't bring up the past. Get rid of any documents you have . . . I shredded my s - - -."

A criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday describes how Butman tried disguising his actions after his middleman, a former Polish translator for the INS, told him authorities were looking into their conduct.

Butman called an FBI agent stationed at O'Hare to ask if the FBI was investigating the man Butman is accused of trying to extort. Butman claimed the man had tried to bribe him, and said he contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the matter but they weren't interested.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Nasser Weiss said prosecutors are determining whether charges will be brought against Individual B and whether any of the immigrants Butman helped will be deported.

Butman was put on administrative paid leave but he could be suspended if convicted, said U.S. Customs spokeswoman Cherise Miles.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown released Butman on several conditions, including that neither he nor his wife, who is also a government official, keep a gun in their home. Butman and his family -- including his wife and four kids -- moved into a two-story, brick home in Niles' Golden Acres Estates subdivision about four years ago.

Contributing: Dan Rozek