Former Bethel Park police lieutenant sentenced for transporting woman into country
A former Bethel Park police lieutenant was sentenced in federal court Thursday after he pleaded guilty to illegally transporting a Venezuelan woman into the country.
According to the Department of Justice, Blake Thomas Babin, 60, was sentenced to three years of probation, a $2,000 fine and 50 hours of community service.
Between Oct. 20 and Dec. 30, 2022, Babin provided the 18-year-old, who was living in Colombia, with money so she could cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Babin picked her up near El Paso, Texas, and brought her back to the Pittsburgh area.
Babin was in Colombia when he met the woman, who was working as a prostitute, court documents state. The investigation turned up text messages that showed that he helped her because he “loved her.”
“Blake Babin betrayed his sworn oath to uphold the law when he paid for a Venezuelan teenager’s transportation to the United States border, knowing that she would then attempt to enter the country illegally so they could carry on a romantic relationship,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan in a press release.