‘Unjustifiable and Impeachable’
By Linda Bentley | November 12, 2008
“... the ugly truth of federal law enforcement corruption ...”
COVINA, Calif. – On Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, Andy Ramirez, chairman and founder of Friends of the Border Patrol (FOBP), released a report titled: “Unjustifiable and Impeachable – FOBP Report on the Courts, Department of Justice & Department of Homeland Security.”
The forward, written by federal whistleblower Sandalio Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Ret., U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), calls the report a “must read” as “it reveals the ugly truth of federal law enforcement corruption, the likes of which very few of us have heard before.”
The primary objective in compiling the report was to educate the public about the duties, responsibilities and effectiveness of federal law enforcement officers engaged in domestic security operations … However, FOBP soon learned its mission needed to address problems within the Executive Branch and other areas of government.
According to Ramirez, the stories and documentation were provided at great risk by “courageous officers defending America,” whose “outrageous stories define the arrogance and mindset within our government today” and must be told.
He blames bad White House policies, agencies riddled by incompetence and internal corruption as the root of the problem.
While Washington and the media were focused on steroids in sports, Wall Street and failing Fortune 500 companies that American taxpayers are bailing out, Ramirez calls attention to officers who face trumped up charges and lose everything – homes, life savings, names and reputations, current and future earnings – for doing their jobs.
Section I of the report, “DHS: A Culture of Corruption and Compromise,” exposes issues ignored by mainstream media and Congress, such as DHS’ failure to secure the borders and ports of entry in favor of trade, regardless of the consequences.
Ramirez also explains how the Bush Administration placed national security at risk by sabotaging DHS from the inside.
While it can be argued the former INS had long been plagued by internal struggles, Ramirez says it was nowhere near the rampant culture of corruption that exists today.
Section II, titled: “The Justice Department: Corrupt, Overzealous and Out of Control,” addresses a number of key prosecutions, for which Congress has failed to hold the DOJ accountable.
The cases cited show a pattern of “abuse and hypocrisy,” reveal how prosecutions are handled when criminal illegal aliens are apprehended by officers doing their jobs, and not just in the case of Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
Just last month, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner W. Ralph Basham, a DHS Senior Executive Service level leader was one of four recipients of the 2008 Presidential Rank Award. The recipients received cash awards worth 35 percent of their annual base pay, which amounts to more than $40,000.
Basham has been publicly confronted with a number of issues involving CBP officers, including a current customs port director who planted marijuana in the luggage of returning passengers through a Miami District Port of Entry.
Not only was the employee never disciplined or prosecuted, he has since received three promotions to his current position of port director.
When a well-known sex ring operating within the Miami District was reported by a female CBP employee, it went uninvestigated, even though it had been the subject of a series of Miami Herald articles for over a decade.
The same employee reported being repeatedly sexually assaulted while on duty by a fellow officer, yet the agency did nothing.
The officer has since filed a complaint in U.S. District Court (Callejas vs. Chertoff).
There was no question U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton’s name would crop up in the report.
Referring to a case known as the “House of Blood,” Ramirez refers to documentation sent to ICE and Sutton by a DEA official regarding an ICE case where a number of horrific murders had taken place, with their knowledge.
After Sutton’s superiors and top DHS officials became informed of the murders, rather than shutting down the operation and stopping the murders, they allowed it to continue while additional murders took place.
“This is a subject we take to task,” said Ramirez, who is certain after people read about the case and review the evidence, they will ask why Sutton and everyone else involved were not brought up on charges.
Ramirez mentions Luis Garcia, a former Customs Director of Field Operations for El Paso, who instructed his officers to move traffic through at the US-Mexico Ports of Entry, because they were “customer service” not “law enforcement.” Garcia even wore a Mexican flag lapel pin on his uniform while on duty.
Customs officers in El Paso told Ramirez that Garcia was protected by Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, who, when contacted with valid complaints, has told officers, in writing, they needed “to follow their chain of command,” as he did “not get involved in such matters.”
While Reyes declined involvement when his cronies were named or relatives were involved, Ramirez noted Reyes had no apparent qualms seeking agency assistance in the June 19 kidnapping of his wife’s relative.
Ramirez pointed out Reyes and Garcia’s wives are sisters.
Section III of the report is presented by FOBP Attorney John Cavicchi, who addresses the courts as “contemptible, unaccountable and a constitutional crisis.”
Joseph J.J. Correa, DPS Criminalist IV, was asked to conduct a test on the bullet, allegedly fired by Ramos, to “if possible, determine the manufacturer of the firearm that fired the submitted bullet.”
Correa’s report stated: “The copper-jacketed bullet was fired from a barrel having six lands and grooves inclined to the right. The manufacturer of the firearm that fired the copper-jacketed bullet is unknown, but could include commonly encountered models of 40 S&W caliber FN/Browning, Beretta, Heckler & Koch, and Ruger Pistols.”
While the ballistics report stated absolutely nothing definitive to indicate the bullet was discharged by Agent Ramos’ sidearm, a .40 caliber Beretta pistol, model 96D, the arrest warrant served on both Ramos and Compean, issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard P. Mesa, stated, “Ballistic testing confirms a government issued weapon belonging to U.S. Border Patrol Agent Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Ramos, a 96D Beretta .40 caliber automatic pistol, serial number BER067069M, fired a bullet (a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson jacketed hollow point) which hit the victim in the left buttocks while he was attempting to flee to Mexico where the victim was shot on U.S. government property between the U.S. bank of the Rio Grande River and the levy.”
While the Border Patrol firearm policy states agents may only report shootings orally to a supervisor, who is then responsible for filing a written report, Ramirez says, “Here is where another Sutton propaganda myth becomes policy” with the silence of every supervisor who was aware of the incident.
Ramirez calls Congress to task for failing to hold the Executive Branch accountable for “egregious and mind-boggling misconduct.”
He says the culture of corruption and deceit that compromises officer safety, the outrageous sex-rings and practices of “screw-up move-up,” have created an intolerable atmosphere for officers.
He also believes the White House, DOJ, and DHS must be held accountable for the numerous gruesome murders in the House of Death case that compromised the safety of DEA agents and for their role in the cover-up during and after the fact.
The full 77-page report and exhibits can be found at: www.friendsoftheborderpatrol.com/impeachable.htm