A 30-year-old man has admitted that while a U.S. Border Patrol agent in northwestern Minnesota he concocted a tale about two men threatening his family, a lie that he hoped would force his superiors to transfer him to the southern United States.

Former agent Andrew Rodriguez of East Grand Forks pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Minneapolis and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

In his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted telling FBI agents that while he was driving from International Falls, Minn., to East Grand Forks on Nov. 7, two men pulled him over, and one threatened to harm his family.

Rodriguez also told the agents that he had seen the men's vehicle near his home on recent occasions.

He and his family were placed in protective custody for two days, until Rodriguez admitted making up the story to force a transfer to the southern border from his work post in Grand Forks.

PAUL WALSH