Bush commutes former Border Patrol agents' prison terms
The two ex-lawmen had been convicted of shooting an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler. The case has been a cause celebre among illegal-immigration foes.[By Josh Meyer
12:54 PM PST, January 19, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- In perhaps his final acts of clemency, President Bush today commuted the prison terms of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler who fled across the Rio Grande after they stopped a van with 743 pounds of marijuana.
The Justice Department announced that Bush has granted clemency to former Texas-based agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos. As is usually the case in such executive grants, the announcement included no explanation, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a case that ignited a fierce debate about illegal immigration, the two men were sentenced to prison terms of 12 years and 11 years, respectively, after being found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, defacing a crime scene and violating the smuggler's rights. The men, who tried to cover up the 2005 shooting, were given three years of supervised release after their prison terms and a $2,000 fine each.
According to the Justice Department, Bush's grant of clemency means that the men's prison sentences will "expire" on March 20, leaving intact the three-year terms of supervised release with all conditions and the fines.
http://tinyurl.com/a84nzp
LOL
Who is next for a pardon?
The two ex-lawmen had been convicted of shooting an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler. The case has been a cause celebre among illegal-immigration foes.[By Josh Meyer
12:54 PM PST, January 19, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- In perhaps his final acts of clemency, President Bush today commuted the prison terms of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler who fled across the Rio Grande after they stopped a van with 743 pounds of marijuana.
The Justice Department announced that Bush has granted clemency to former Texas-based agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos. As is usually the case in such executive grants, the announcement included no explanation, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a case that ignited a fierce debate about illegal immigration, the two men were sentenced to prison terms of 12 years and 11 years, respectively, after being found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, defacing a crime scene and violating the smuggler's rights. The men, who tried to cover up the 2005 shooting, were given three years of supervised release after their prison terms and a $2,000 fine each.
According to the Justice Department, Bush's grant of clemency means that the men's prison sentences will "expire" on March 20, leaving intact the three-year terms of supervised release with all conditions and the fines.
http://tinyurl.com/a84nzp
LOL
Who is next for a pardon?