Officials have said that a government attorney in Los Angeles has been convicted of accepting bribes from illegal immigrants in exchange for helping them get benefits.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Constantine Peter Kallas, assistant chief counsel at the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Los Angeles, was found guilty Tuesday of charges including bribery, fraud and conspiracy.

The newspaper said that the case started in 2007 when an immigrant told authorities an immigration official was accepting bribes.

Kallas was arrested in June 2008 after an investigation by the FBI, ICE and other agencies.

Prosecutors said that agents searching Kallas' home found more than $177,000 in cash and a number of official immigration files.

Assistant U. S. Atty. Raymond O. Aghaian further said that a ledger naming more than 60 immigrants and amounts they paid, with bribes of up to $20,000, was also found.

According to the reports of Times, Bank accounts showed almost $1 million had been deposited in the names of Kallas and his wife since 2000. Sentencing for Kallas has been set for August.
(With Inputs from Agencies)