Henry Yau, a former supervisory deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pled guilty on Mar. 26 before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon to conspiring to solicit and accept bribes and gratuities, according to an announcement by United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton.
Yau admitted to abusing his position by disclosing confidential law enforcement information, alerting an individual about an ongoing FBI investigation, and arresting another individual at the request of members involved in a bank fraud conspiracy. These actions were carried out in exchange for cash payments, expensive dinners, and high-end alcohol.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers are entrusted with enforcing our country’s immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety,” said Jay Clayton. “They deserve our respect when they carry out their duties with integrity and professionalism. Henry Yau failed his fellow officers and the people of New York when he breached their trust in exchange for bribes and gratuities. He does not deserve our respect. He deserves a conviction.”
According to court records, Yau was employed as a Deportation Officer with ICE from around 2015 until November 2024 before being promoted in September 2021 to Supervisory Deportation Officer at the ICE New York Field Office in Manhattan. His role gave him access to several restricted law enforcement databases containing sensitive information about immigration status, border crossings, criminal histories, arrests, and removals.
Yau’s guilty plea covers activities from at least 2015 through at least 2024 where he participated with others in schemes involving the dissemination of confidential information for personal gain as well as facilitating entry into the United States for certain individuals.
Yau faces up to five years in prison; however, sentencing will be determined by a judge based on federal guidelines set by Congress.
Clayton praised the investigative work conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, and New York City Department of Investigation.
