Posted on 08/08/2005 11:03:32 AM PDT by shebacal
A former Border Patrol agent accused of lying about his citizenship to get his job and then helping to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States was ordered held without bail yesterday.
Oscar Antonio Ortiz, 28, appeared in court dressed in a jail-issue orange jumpsuit and said little during a brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony J. Battaglia.
The judge set a bail hearing for Wednesday. Prosecutors say Ortiz should remain behind bars until his case is decided.
Ortiz pleaded not guilty to lying about his citizenship and conspiracy to smuggle immigrants, felony charges that could result in up to 13 years in prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at signonsandiego.com ...
I suspect we've barely scratched the surface.
He's not in the USBP anymore.
Unbelievable.
"A former Border Patrol agent accused of lying about his citizenship to get his job and then helping to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States was ordered held without bail yesterday."
Appreciate the small miracles. I'm surprised they didn't grant bail.
Do they not do background checks on folks hired for the Border Patrol? I worked for the local police department - it was a 6-month process to get hired. I had to provide an original (certified) birth certificate, my original SS card, school transcripts (certified by the school) for not only college, but high school, have five letters of reference (every single one was called and questioned at length), neighbors were visited and questioned, and last but not least, I had to pass a polygraph test (by the way, if none of you have ever taken a polygraph, it is a miserable, physically painful experience). I can't imagine that a thorough background check wouldn't have exposed the citizenship lies ....... but then again, nothing much surprises me any more.
They sort of do them.
Union officials have pinned the blame on rushed hiring and the subcontracting of background screenings for new hires, a practice they say places a highly sensitive matter in the hands of contractors who don't have a vested interest in national security. In the rush to hire, there have been instances in which background checks have not been completed until people have already been on board for months, Bonner said.
Ortiz was born in Tijuana, but he presented a fake copy of an Illinois birth certificate when he applied for the Border Patrol on Oct. 30, 2001, an ICE agent said in court papers filed Thursday.
Ortiz worked with another rogue Border Patrol agent to look the other way – "just clear the way," as the other agent put it – while illegal immigrants were smuggled across the border east of Tecate, according to the court filing.
The agents were paid $300 per person, according to a wiretapped conversation cited in the filing, and up to $2,000 if they smuggled the immigrants themselves.
The other agent has not been arrested or charged.
It seems the feds are taking a lackadaisacal approach to this case. And my guess is that there are more than a few.
BAIL??? He'd run down to Messico in no time flat
KFI news reported last night that this individual had served in the U.S. military under his fake documents and received an honorable discharge prior to being hired by the BP. Quite an operator.
. . .from the San Jose Mercury News
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