AZMEX F&F EXTRA 20 OCT 2015
Note: Those behind the scheme have yet to face justice.
Man sentenced to 27 years in border agent's 2010 slaying
Posted: Oct 20, 2015 5:48 PM MST
Updated: Oct 20, 2015 5:48 PM MST
By The Associated Press
TUCSON, AZ (AP) -
A man who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent whose death exposed a botched U.S. gun-smuggling operation was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Rosario Rafael Burboa-Alvarez was sentenced Monday for first-degree murder in the 2010 death of Agent Brian Terry, the Arizona Daily Star reported. It comes weeks after two others who were part of an armed crew trying to steal marijuana from smugglers were convicted in Terry's death.
Burboa-Alvarez is accused of assembling the "rip-off crew," two of whom remain fugitives. Another man also has pleaded guilty in connection to Terry's death and was sentenced to 30 years in prison last year.
Prosecutors argued that Burboa-Alvarez was a co-conspirator even though he was in Mexico at the time of the shooting. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors took the death penalty off the table.
The crew encountered agents in the Arizona desert on Dec. 14, 2010, and exchanged gunfire that killed Terry. Authorities later discovered that two of the guns found at the scene of the shootout had been part of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation.
In the sting operation, the federal government allowed criminals to buy guns in Phoenix-area shops with the intention of tracking them once they made their way into Mexico. But the agency lost track of more than 1,400 weapons they allowed smugglers to buy.
The probe set off a political firestorm, led to congressional investigations and became a major distraction for President Barack Obama in his first term.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt after he refused to divulge documents for a congressional investigation into the matter. Since then, the Justice Department has focused on arresting and trying all suspects involved.
Note: This story has been corrected to show that Burboa-Alvarez was sentenced to 27 years in prison, not 24.
Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.tucson.com
Posted: Oct 20, 2015 4:02 PM MST
Updated: Oct 20, 2015 4:02 PM MST
Mexican-National sentenced to prison for aggravated assault on Forest Service officer
Written By Anna Arakelova
Tucson's NBC affiliate
A Mexican-National from Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced to over 43 years in prison on Monday for aggravated assault of a U.S. Forest Service Officer in 2014.
According to court documents, on August 23, 2014, Jesus Eder Moreno-Ornelas, along with another individual, were approached by a U.S. Forest Service officer working in the Coronado National Forest area. During the confrontation, prosecutors said Moreno-Ornelas attacked the officer and took his gun, while physically assaulting the officer. He fired several shots before the officer regained control of the gun.
He was sentenced to 520 months in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury of aggravated assault of a federal officer, the use of a firearm in connection with a violent crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, two counts of attempted robbery of government property, and illegal re-entry after deportation.
At sentencing, there was evidence of premeditated intent to kill the victim and that Moreno-Ornelas had threatened a witness prior to the trial. Moreno-Ornelas was a convicted felon who was in the United States illegally after having been previously deported.
END
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