McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) Two federal law enforcement officers who cheated on a physical fitness test pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges Tuesday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Cristiani Briana White, 27, of Mission, Texas, had to pass a physical fitness test to join Homeland Security Investigations.
White provided her driver’s license to a colleague Officer Cynteria Janise LeBlanc, 25, of Mission who attempted to take the physical fitness test for her.
“They were federal officers that made a serious judgmental error for, theoretically, a good reason,” said attorney Joseph C. Magliolo Jr. of Houston, who represents White. “Other than that, they’ve been not only ideal citizens but ideal officers.”
In 2021, according to her plea agreement, White applied for a job with Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
As part of the application process, White had to pass a physical fitness test.
Applicants must sprint 220 yards in 47.73 seconds and run 1.5 miles in 14 minutes and 25 seconds, according to information published by Homeland Security Investigations. They must also complete 32 sit-ups and 22 push-ups.
Anyone who fails the test may request a do-over within 45 days.
If an applicant fails the test a second time, they are “removed from the hiring process,” according to information published by Homeland Security Investigations.
White failed the physical fitness test in September 2024.
She agreed to meet Homeland Security Investigations agents for a do-over at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
White, though, didn’t show up.
“She was injured and unable to do it,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarina S. DiPiazza, who is prosecuting the case, said on Tuesday, when White pleaded guilty. “So Ms. LeBlanc used Ms. White’s ID to go to UTRGV to conduct the physical fitness test.”
A special agent who showed up for the fitness test, however, had met White before. The agent demanded to see LeBlanc’s identification.
LeBlanc claimed she was White, and showed the agent White’s license as proof.
When the agent didn’t back down, LeBlanc attempted to walk away.
LeBlanc told the agent “they were all federal officers,” DiPiazza said. “And she would hope that they would ‘let this one slide.’”
The agents refused to play along.
They forced LeBlanc to identify herself and contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, which investigates misconduct.
LeBlanc told agents she “was just trying to help her friend get her dream job,” DiPiazza said.
Faced with a federal investigation, White and LeBlanc struck a deal with prosecutors.
They agreed to plead guilty to possession of an identification document with intent to defraud the United States, a federal misdemeanor.
As part of the deal, they promised to resign from Customs and Border Protection and agreed not to apply for another federal job for 25 years.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, agreed not to charge White and LeBlanc with making a false statement to a federal agent, which is a felony. They also promised to recommend that White and LeBlanc be placed on probation.
Maglioli, the attorney who represents White, told the judge his client suffered an on-the-job injury.
“She got injured while a federal agent, and couldn’t pass the physical to move on up,” Maglioli said during the hearing. “It’s a sad story. These are two great young ladies that just made a bad judgment call.”
Details about the injury remain unclear. Maglioli didn’t respond to a request for comment after the hearing.
White and LeBlanc appeared in court Tuesday ready to plead guilty, resign and be sentenced.
“The main goal is just to have both defendants resign from CBP,” DiPiazza said, so they’re no longer federal officers. “That’s our main concern.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis said he didn’t know about the plea until five minutes before the hearing.
Alanis agreed to hold the hearing, but said he wouldn’t accept the plea or sentence them until the U.S. Probation Office had prepared a pre-sentence investigation report.
“I understand Ms. White and Ms. LeBlanc wanted to get sentenced today and take care of their part of the plea agreement, on that end,” Alanis said. “That’s not going to happen today.”
That created a problem for White and LeBlanc.
They had agreed to resign from Customs and Border Protection within 24 hours of pleading guilty. If they resigned and Alanis didn’t accept the plea, White and LeBlanc couldn’t take back their resignations.
“It puts us in a bit of an awkward position,” said attorney Christian F. Capitaine of Houston, who represents LeBlanc.
Alanis said he would let the lawyers decide how to handle the situation.
“None of this will be held against you,” Alanis told White and LeBlanc.
Customs and Border Protection didn’t respond to a request for comment about whether White and LeBlanc had resigned.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 19.
