DOJ Drops Case Against Tom Homan for Accepting $50,000 Bribe

Tom Homan, later named President Trump’s border czar, was recorded in September 2024 accepting a bag containing $50,000 in cash in an undercover FBI sting, people familiar with the case confirmed.

The Justice Department shut down the case after Trump began his second term this year, citing doubts prosecutors could prove Homan had agreed to a specific act in exchange for the money, and noting he was not in a government position at the time. (Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr) 

But the case was dropped by Trump officials “like a hot potato,” The New York Times reported.

Reporting for The Times, Isabelle D’Antonio wrote that the September 2024 payment arose from a probe that was not initially targeting Homan.

Trump’s border czar became the focus of a bribery investigation after he agreed to help undercover agents posing as businessmen secure government contracts in a second Trump administration.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN that Homan accepted the cash payment inside a bag from the fast-casual chain Cava.

Investigators began looking at Homan after the original target of a separate case suggested a payment to him could open the door to federal border security contracts.

On tape from the September 2024 meeting, Homan appeared to agree to help the undercover agents win contracts if Donald Trump returned to office.

The Justice Department shut down the case after Trump began his second term this year, citing doubts prosecutors could prove Homan — who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump’s first term — had agreed to a specific act in exchange for the money, and noting he was not in a government position at the time.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the matter, which originated under the Biden administration, was fully reviewed by FBI and DOJ officials, who “found no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing,” Evan Perez also reported for CNN.