The Abuse of Border Patrol Agents(George Putnam)

NewsMax.com ^ | Feb. 23, 2007 | George Putnam

[kellynla]

It is this reporter's opinion that it is now time to tell the story of former Border Patrol agent Gary Brugman — how in the performance of his duty he was falsely charged and convicted of violating the civil rights of an illegal caught entering the U.S. at the Mexican border.

The case of Brugman, along with the cases of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, Gilmer Hernandez, David Sipe, and others unjustly accused, serves as proof of the malicious prosecution brought by the U.S. attorney, Johnny Sutton, against our brave and dedicated law enforcement officers who dare to uphold our immigration laws.

Just as in the Ramos and Compean case, Sutton collaborated with the Mexican Consulate to locate a deported Mexican national, paying his way to the U.S. to testify against a dedicated border patrol agent (Brugman) on false assault charges.

What incentive was given for his testimony? It is known that a member of the smuggler's family, his daughter, received chemotherapy treatment in the U.S.

A scandalous twist orchestrated by the Sutton prosecution against Brugman was that Sutton brought the convicted and incarcerated drug smuggler from his prison cell to testify against Brugman — the same drug smuggler agent he had captured six weeks prior to the incident for which he was being prosecuted.

Once again, as in the case of Ramos and Compean, there was no previous accusation of a violation to the smuggler's civil rights. But as in the case of Ramos and Compean, the Sutton gang labeled Brugman a rogue cop.

Tragically, no one listened to Gary Brugman's story several years ago — he spent two years in the general population at federal prisons. Because of the constant threats against his life, he was forced to wrap himself in newspapers and magazines taped to his body as protection against inmate knifing attacks.

Gary Brugman lost everything, and his life was totally ruined. But thank God, he survived his sentence and is now a free man.

Brugman, a patriotic American, now tells his story in an effort to help Ramos and Compean, and Hernandez to prove their innocence against the power, influence, and treachery of President Bush, our attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez, and their "Charlie McCarthy" U.S. attorney Johnny Sutton.

The prosecution in the course of Brugman's sham of a trial called a convicted drug smuggler to the stand to testify against him — the same drug smuggler he had captured who had been convicted of smuggling and sentenced to over five years in prison.

They brought the convicted criminal into court escorted by a deputy U.S. marshal who actually sat behind him on the witness stand as he testified against Brugman.

Sutton, on more than one occasion, admitted he was prosecuting Brugman to make an example of him.

During a 20-minute recess in the trial, Brugman found himself in the restroom with Sutton's prosecuting attorney.

Brugman looked him in the eye and asked why he was doing this to him.

To which Sutton's man replied, "It's not a matter of if you are going to prison, it's a matter of how long you're going to prison for. I have a $50 million budget to make sure you're going."

Sutton, at one point, called the Mexican Consulate in Eagle Pass, Texas to help him locate and bring the drug smuggler back into the U.S., offering the dope smuggler immunity and health care for his family in exchange for false testimony against Brugman.

All of this false information was sealed by the judge and withheld during the trial. Brugman says the drug smuggler even testified he did not want to testify against Brugman but was pressured by both the Mexican and U.S. government to do so.

Says Brugman, "The recent exposure of the facts of the Compean and Ramos case, and that of Deputy Hernandez, has torn me apart. I now know how it feels and it is terrifying. God bless these agents and this deputy. May He be with them and their families every moment of the day."

Meanwhile, when will Sutton be exposed for his illegal actions as he represents the power structure of the Bush/Gonzalez abuse of our American judicial system by bringing false prosecutions and imprisonment against loyal border patrol officers?

And there you have another story — the story of Border Patrol Agent Brugman and his unjust prosecution at the hands of Sutton and his gang.

[erton1]

There were not 2 grants of immunity to OAD in this case.The testimony of the 2nd drug incident was excluded by judge because she ruled it was impermissible under the federal rules of evidence. Thus the evidence never got to the jury. This is a ruling that I am sure will be challenged as part of the appeal. It will be interesting how the 5th circuit rules rules on this issue.

[sumthinelse]

"2nd drug incident" sounds like a euphemism. You know what he meant by "grants of immunity." It appears to me that Sutton let a drug smuggler go free to avoid embarrassment.

And this is just one part of the government's sleazy behavior in this case.

[erton1]

I saw cbn clip. It appears Gonzalez is basing his statements on the jury verdict at trial. I have said from the beginning that before these guys will even be considered for a pardon, the judicial process must be completed. The earliest I see a pardon is 25/12/08.

[cmiller623]

How many more cases like Brugman will it take before you "See the light"?? This Justice Department is against border security!! It prosecutes the agents to send a message. Bush is wrong, wrong, wrong on this issue. The Sutton gang will obviously ride roughshod over Americans trying to do their job. If you don't think these cases have a "chilling effect" on border security, you need to be committed.

[erton1]

I am very aware of what immunity means. If immunity was agreed to in the 2nd drug incident, why did OAD invoke the 5th amendment during the bill of review proffer? I suggest you read up on the facts of the 2nd incident. It was a state task force bust, not federal, no drugs were found on OAD, and the evidence was based on double hearsay. Plus it is questionable that the evidence is admissible under the federal rules of evidence, rules 608 and 802. I anticipate that this is point the 5th circuit will decide.

[calcowgirl]

FYI LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK, Aired February 24, 2007, Transcript, DOBBS: Let me show -- show all of our audience and you the comments of attorney general Alberto Gonzales this morning in a radio interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network. This is what he said. "These individuals were convicted in a court of law by their peers. These are individuals who were not doing their jobs. It is not part of their job to shoot an unarmed man from behind. It is not part of their job to conspire to conceal what they did. It is not part of their job to like about what they did, to hide it from their superiors. That's why these individuals were convicted."

... more

[texastoo]

I guess CNN finally put it up. This is the same from CBN.

It is so arrogant of Gonzales to take the word of a known drug smuggler and expect people to believe him.

[texastoo]

I don't see a pardon.

[erton1]

Well, I wouldn't bet on them getting a pardon.

[sumthinelse]

>>I suggest you read up on the facts of the 2nd incident.<<

I would like to read more about the 2nd bust. Where did you find the info?

>>It was a state task force bust, not federal, no drugs were found on OAD, and the evidence was based on double hearsay.<<

I don't think the case against Ramos and Compean was particularly strong either, before Mexico told Sutton and DHS to go after them, and he and the DHS put so much effort into it. I think Sutton did not want to go after OAD for either load of drugs.

I believe that Bush will not pardon the agents -- neither Mexico nor the business interests that want to stop border enforcement would like that. And the appeal probably will be unsuccessful -- It is very difficult to overturn a conviction. But there is a difference between the letter and the spirit of the law, and while Sutton may not have violated the letter (but DHS did when it lied to congress about the case), I think he did violate the spirit. And the jury went along with it.

I have spent time in Mexico, learned to speak Spanish, and know there are many wonderful people there. I never believed in popular conspiracy theories until now, but there are just too many red flags here for me to believe that they are coincidences.