A former border patrol agent in upstate New York was sentenced Wednesday to one year in federal prison after admitting that he ordered several women to show him their breasts while processing their admissions into the U.S.
Shane Millan, 53, of Jefferson County, was accused of telling four women to remove their shirts and expose their breasts, falsely claiming it was part of the legitimate entry process.
The incidents took place virtually in August 2023, when Millan was a border patrol agent with 17 years of service, the Times Union reported. At the time, he was conducting interviews with immigrants who had crossed the southern border from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection station in Jefferson County.
When speaking with the women via webcam, he commanded three of them “to expose their bare chests to him,” prosecutors said. A fourth victim was also asked to expose her breasts but kept her bra on.
He was arrested in August 2024. In March, he pleaded guilty to two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
At his plea hearing, Millan told a judge he had presented his requests to the women as part of the admission process — while knowing the demands to see their breasts were for his own gratification, prosecutors said.
Two of the women were told they were being checked for tattoos, court documents show. He also used his government computer to research Spanish phrases, such as “I will also need you to lift your bra, please.”
Millan’s attorneys had asked the judge to consider a sentence of supervision with mental health counseling instead of incarceration, while acknowledging that their client’s behavior was “disturbing.”
But Millan — who faced up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000 — was sentenced Wednesday to 12 months in federal prison.
“Everybody deserves respect, and we will not tolerate the sexual exploitation of immigrants by members of law enforcement,” Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone said in a statement. “Nobody is above the law.”
With News Wire Services
