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Ex-Playboy Playmate Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Illegal Immigrant

By Brett Snider, Esq. on June 19, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A former Playboy model has pleaded guilty to sneaking her illegal immigrant boyfriend across the U.S.-Canada border.

Playboy alumna Colleen Shannon, 35, admitted to helping her boyfriend, Robert Skojo, enter the country illegally by moving him through an Indian reservation in August 2012, reports The Post-Standard of Syracuse, New York.

Shannon now faces the possibility of meeting her adoring female fans behind bars as she awaits sentencing for her criminal charges.

Smuggling Boyfriend Across the Border

Under federal law, willingly smuggling an illegal immigrant across the U.S. border is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.

Proseuctors allege the former Playboy model drove Skojo's car into Canada, picked him up, and then headed for the U.S. border where the two were arrested by Border Patrol agents, reports The Post-Standard.

Shannon was also charged with aiding or assisting Skojo, a prior convicted felon, to enter the United States, a charge that carries another maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Skojo's Criminal Record

Shannon may not have the best taste in men to smuggle home, as Skojo had a rather lengthy criminal record that prevented him from entering the United States.

Skojo told authorities that he knew his criminal record, including drug and prostitution charges, would prevent him from entering the country, reports the Associated Press.

Under federal law, anyone who is previously convicted of a drug charge in a foreign country that is punishable by more than one year in prison is ineligible to enter the United States.

Possible Punishment

For Shannon and most non-ex-Playboy model defendants, pleading guilty or accepting a plea bargain for a charge typically reduces the amount of punishment a judge will impose.

According to the Post-Standard, Shannon could face anywhere from "zero to six months" in jail for cooperating with prosecutors and admitting responsibility.

However, under the federal sentencing guidelines, even with an admission of responsibility, Shannon could potentially face six to 12 months in jail and a minimum fine of $2,000 if the judge doesn't accept her "minimal" or "minor" role in aiding illegal immigration.

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