Bethel Park police lieutenant charged in illegal immigrant transport case

A Bethel Park police lieutenant was taken into federal custody Thursday afternoon after authorities said he transported an illegal immigrant.

FBI spokesperson Catherine Coennen confirmed that Lt. Blake Thomas Babin, 59, of Bethel Park, is in custody. He is facing a felony charge of transporting an illegal immigrant, according to court documents unsealed Thursday.

Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti said that Babin from around Oct. 20, 2022, through Dec. 30, 2022, “transported and attempted to transport within the United States (a person) who had illegally entered the country, knowing that the (person) was illegally in the country.”

He also assisted the illegal immigrant in remaining in the United States illegally, officials said.

The law provides for a sentence of up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, Rivetti said.

The FBI in Pittsburgh conducted the investigation leading to the indictment.

Bethel Park Police Chief Timothy O’Connor declined to comment Thursday afternoon and forwarded questions to the FBI.

“It’s their case,” O’Connor told the Trib. “Anything beyond that here would be a personnel matter and we can’t comment.”

A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Babin on Tuesday, charging him with the one felony count of transporting an illegal immigrant. Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan signed an arrest warrant for Babin the same day.

No attorney was listed for Babin in the court docket.

Babin is in charge of patrol, traffic officers and the dispatch center for Bethel Park police, the municipality said in a statement. He has worked for Bethel Park since 1990.