2 Border Patrol agents indicted for civil rights violations
by Hugh Holub on Aug. 05, 2011, under crime, politicsPress Release from US Attorney’s Office – Arizona
BORDER PATROL AGENTS INDICTED FOR CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
TUCSON, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Tucson returned a 5-count indictment today against Dario Castillo, 23, and Ramon Zuniga, 29, both of Maricopa, Ariz., for Conspiracy to Deprive Persons of Civil Rights and Civil Rights Deprivation under Color of Law. Castillo was also charged with Tampering with a Witness. The defendants will be summoned to appear for arraignment in federal court.
The indictment alleges that on November 12, 2008, Castillo and Zuniga were employed as Border Patrol Agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol. While on duty, the defendants allegedly forced four Mexican nationals who were illegally present in the U.S. and smuggling marijuana, to eat marijuana and to remove their shoes, socks and all outerwear, instead of arresting them. After setting fire to their personal belongings, the defendants allegedly instructed the four people to flee into the desert with no readily available shelter and resources within miles on an evening when the temperature was approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The defendants’ actions are alleged to have deprived the four people of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
A conviction for Conspiracy to Deprive Persons of Civil Rights and Civil Rights Deprivation under Color of Law each carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for Tampering with a Witness carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Bury will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.
An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, Tucson. The prosecution is being handled by Karen Rolley, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson; and Cindy Chung, Attorney, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Washington, D.C.
CASE NUMBER: CR-11-02727(DCB)
August 5th, 2011 on 9:46 am
Unfortunately much like pedophiles the sadists in our society seek out victims via gaining access to their victims by employment, jobs that allow them to use the job as a cover for their nefarious sick natures! Not much difference between the two, one victimizes children one helpless folks under the guise of a badge! Hope these fellows find a enjoyabe decade in a prison where they spend every day in misery, cannot say I have one wit of pity for them!
August 5th, 2011 on 11:16 am
Yes it was wrong. But we got a load of dope seized and there were four cold drug haulers who got to tell their sad story back in Mexico to the Cartel bosses. Tragic.
August 5th, 2011 on 11:22 am
Hugh:
I was watching Cspan last night and saw an interview with Alan Bersin at the “Center for American Progress”. You should have seen the manure. The border is safe, we have done enough, we have hired a lot of people blah, blah. I Googled the Center for American Progress and yes it is what a thought, A liberal think tank, open borders organization. He looked like a fool. traitor.
August 5th, 2011 on 4:02 pm
How can it be a “civil rights” violation when these criminal drug dealers are NOT U.S. citizens? These criminals need to be targeted whenever they violate the borders of a sovereign nation. Any other nation on earth uses that privelege. The United States chooses to emasculate itself instead, and let any dirtbag come on through. Thank you, my ball- less government, for allowing/encouraging this to happen.
August 6th, 2011 on 5:32 am
The 2 agents should be given a medal and a promotion, instead we waste tax payer dollars in a court system that is a joke, we prosecute our own and let the criminals run free. When are we going to wake up and start taking action to protect our country and make it better? We tollerate everything and do nothing to correct it. If we start shooting these drug dealers and illigals it wouldn’t take to long for them to figure it out that we aren’t going to put up with their bull.
August 6th, 2011 on 11:48 am
What civil rights? They are illegal drug smugglers. The same people that behead people and skin them. Rape women and childern. Give these guys a medal.
August 9th, 2011 on 5:26 am
“Rights are the things that nobody can take away.” Fmr. Attny Gen. Ramsey Clark.
“Certain inalienable rights endowed by their Creator…” Declaration of Independence
Everybody has rights and this nation was founded on defending those rights. Those rights are for everybody, Americans or otherwise, as disgusting as we may find them. Our justice system takes great pains to separate the functions of law enforcement, prosecution and punishment so as to ensure as fair of justice that humanity can procure. They have a clearly defined job and they should have done it and leave the rest of it to the system to follow through.
August 6th, 2011 on 6:18 am
It’s called “justice”, folks. And specifically, it’s a matter of “equal justice under the law”. It doesn’t matter who the victims are or where they come from. It is the same crime whether it happens to your mother or some minor functionary in the drug war.
August 6th, 2011 on 9:42 pm
“minor functionary in the drug war”….. Your values……tsk, tsk, tsk.
August 7th, 2011 on 8:03 am
I know that you have had occasion to question my values and morals from time to time, fraser. Here’s another little tidbit to ponder: were I to find myself in a situation wherein I needed to hump a 40 pound backpack full of pot through no-man’s-land to feed my kids, would I do it? Darn straight I would!
Heck, I might even feel better about enriching Drug Lords (aka entrepeneurs) than some of the people I have worked for in the past.
August 8th, 2011 on 6:34 pm
Looks like there are four job openings available in Mexico. …Somehow I am not shocked. …There are millions of decent Mexicans who would stoop that low to make a buck. (Maybe not)
Maybe in another life you were a member of the NKVD in a black leather trench coat and shot Ukrainians who did not tow the line. Have a great day.
August 6th, 2011 on 11:56 am
Civil rights??? These were drug pushers. The same group that murders,beheads and rapes women. Give these guys a medal and a raise. Better yet make them the boss.
August 6th, 2011 on 10:12 pm
One thing for sure, anyone who thinks this was cute, legal, is very likely a pedophile or sadist themselves!:-) I often say give folks the rope they need to hang themselves, we have sadists, pedophiles in our society, they hide but as with this story sometimes they expose themselves in their comments!:-)
August 6th, 2011 on 10:14 pm
We see it every day with law enforcement, politicians, educators/teachers, being caught in stings exposing them as to their true natures, one can bet if one was looking for a sick mind, twisted nature one could easily do a forensic search on some folks who seem to find glee in torture, sexual sadism, and catch some predators hiding amongst us!:-)
August 7th, 2011 on 5:34 am
For all you idiots that are cheering these sadist cops on, that is not justice. Yes they were criminals but your police are supposed to uphold the law, not punish criminals as they see fit. If your society allows this behavior on criminals, it just ups the ante for this type of brutality and assists the formation of a police state.
August 8th, 2011 on 4:56 pm
Just recently in California a band of blue brothers, law enforcement officers beat a mentally ill, homeless man to death as he begged, cried for his father a former police officer, the sadists, pedophiles, sick minded on earth will one day find a fitting place to spend all enternity and how ironic they might be spending it with the very criminal elements they so detest in life! I call that a bit of karma!
August 8th, 2011 on 7:45 pm
I can only hope that their richly deserved dose of karma is delivered in this life, and soon.
August 9th, 2011 on 1:56 pm
One hope they will find a prison cell next to a equally sadistic human being if one is a non-religious person or if one believes in a after life, atonement, forgiveness or punishment for those who refuse to atone, many will not be lucky to know ones day of demise and therefore unlike the condemned inmate or the terminally ill, not have that unique opportunity to repent and therefore most sadists, pedophiles are not likely to repent, not saying its impossible, but would not be placing any bets with the local bookie on it!
August 9th, 2011 on 2:07 pm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44074637/ns/us_news-weird_news/
I do believe the above story of a Arizona man with a addiction for carrying a gun 24/7 ought to make most of us males whince a bit, always felt those fellows obsessed with carrying a gun 24/7 had a shortage in area in their trousers and needed a gun to boost their egos, this fellow might truly have let his obsession, low self esteem issues cost him a bit of his manhood or at the very least it did it no good!:-)