U.S. President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, was allegedly recorded accepting a $50,000 cash bribe during an undercover FBI sting operation last year, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Justice Department opened a corruption probe into the incident but later closed it, raising questions about political interference at the highest levels of government.
The investigation began in August 2024 under President Joe Biden’s administration after a separate national security case led agents to claims that Homan was trading promises of immigration-related government contracts for money. In the sting operation, Homan was reportedly handed a bag of cash from an undercover FBI agent posing as a business contact at a Cava restaurant. Sources said Homan suggested the money would be kept in trust until he returned to private life after his role in the Trump administration.
By early 2025, a grand jury in the Western District of Texas was reviewing the case when Trump returned to office. However, the probe faced headwinds once new Justice Department leadership took over. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who later became a federal judge, was briefed on the matter in February and dismissed it as an example of a “deep state” operation, echoing Trump’s frequent claims of political targeting.
FBI Director Kash Patel, appointed by Trump, formally shut down the probe over the summer, stating there was “no credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing.” Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche argued that the Biden-era investigation was politically motivated and insisted Justice Department resources should focus on “real threats to the American people.”
The White House defended Homan, with Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson describing him as “a career law enforcement officer and lifelong public servant” who was carrying out Trump’s deportation agenda “phenomenally.” Officials emphasized that Homan had no role in awarding government contracts, despite his consulting business during Trump’s years out of office that advised companies on immigration-related bids.
Critics inside the Justice Department, however, viewed the abrupt closure of the case as part of a broader rollback of corruption prosecutions. Shortly after Bove criticized the Homan probe, he also moved to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a decision that prompted resignations from career prosecutors. The department has since dismantled much of the unit that handled political corruption cases.
The Homan case underscores mounting tension between career law enforcement officials and Trump-aligned leadership at the Justice Department. While investigators recorded Homan allegedly pocketing a bag of cash, senior officials insisted the matter was politically tainted and ultimately buried it.
The episode, first reported by MSNBC, has sparked concerns that efforts to root out corruption in government are being sidelined for political convenience. For now, Homan remains a key figure overseeing Trump’s sweeping deportation drive, with the bribery allegations shelved but unlikely to fade from public scrutiny.
