Posted on 10/19/2006 3:37:27 PM PDT by no dems
Edited on 10/19/2006 4:07:46 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Ex-border agents sentenced for shooting smuggler
AP
EL PASO, Texas -- Two former U.S. Border Patrol agents were each sentenced Thursday to more than a decade in federal prison for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler and then trying to cover it up.
Ignacio Ramos was sentenced to 11 years and one day, and Jose Alonso Compean was sentenced to 12 years. Both were fired after their convictions on several charges including assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice, and a civil rights violation.
The men, neither of whom spoke in court, will be allowed to turn themselves in Jan. 17.
The agents have proclaimed their innocence in the Feb. 17, 2005, shooting of admitted drug smuggler Osvlado Aldrete Davila.
Aldrete was shot in the buttocks as he fled across the Rio Grande into Mexico after a confrontation with Ramos and Compean. The agents said they shot in self defense, but prosecutors charged that they had no reason to shoot at the fleeing man, who later claimed he was unarmed.
Since their convictions, support for the agents has swelled. Several prominent law makers, including U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, the Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House judiciary committee, have even called for a Congressional investigation into the agents' prosecutions.
The union representing most rank and file Border Patrol agents established a legal defense fund. And civilian border watch groups have asked the U.S. Attorney General's office to review the case and throw out the jury's guilty verdicts.
This sucks!
So this is what Republican government gets us. Awesome.
Hey Bush, pardon these guys or I never vote Republican again.
What a shame. I heard one of the agents talking about his family and how his two sons were worried and the youngest asked "will you be with us on Christmas, dad?"
What are you doing watching Marxist Dobbs?
CRAZY!
I agree. This is shocking and dispicable. A criminal drug smuggler goes free - in fact, will probably get millions from some idiot jury. And two border patrol agents attempting to secure our borders against impossible odds are imprisoned for over a decade. Once again, illegals have more rights than citizens. Unfair!!
complete border insanity.
Better change your screenname if you're going to make threats like that.
You probably haven't voted GOP since 1996 so I seriously doubt that the President gives a rat's rear end about your empty threat.
unreal!
I say let's find out who offered the drug smuggler the plea bargain, and get him fired.
Thank god they didn't send dirty instant messages.
I must have missed the story about this incident.
Do you have any more information?
Note to all other BP agents: SHOOT TO KILL!
They should IMMEDIATELY be pardoned by the President - hell Clinton pardoned murdering terrorists for Chrissakes! Outrageous!
Any details on this case? Why were border patrol agents prosecuted for shooting a drug smuggler?
listening to John n Ken right now. They're apoplectic. I can't begin to describe my disgust.
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