|
Jesus Leonel
Sanchez-Meza and Ivan Soto-Barraza, both extradited from Mexico,
were convicted after less than a day of deliberations following
a week-long trial in Tucson.
Prosecutors said Sanchez-Meza, also known as Lionel
Portilla-Meza, and Soto-Barraza were part of a five-man "rip
crew" suspected of robbing drug smugglers operating in the
Sonoran Desert just west of Rio Rico, Arizona.
Agent Brian Terry, along with three other Border Patrol agents,
tried to intercept the men on Dec. 14, 2010, and Terry was
fatally shot in the ensuing firefight. One of the "rip crew"
members was wounded, officials said.
Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza denied they fired their weapons
and said they fled when they were engaged by the agents.
Andrea Matheson, one of the defense attorneys, said she was
preparing an appeal. Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza both face
mandatory life sentences for first-degree murder, second-degree
murder, conspiracy, attempted robbery, carrying a firearm in a
violent crime, and four counts of assaulting a federal officer.
The case drew international attention when two AK-47s found at
the scene of the shooting were traced back to the botched "Fast
and Furious" gun-trafficking investigation by the U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The goal of the operation was to track guns bought by straw
buyers, or people who purchased firearms pretending they were
for their own use, which were then sent to senior drug cartel
members. In most cases, however, ATF agents did not follow the
guns beyond the initial buyer.
During the trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that
connected the men to the weapons and personal items, including
clothing left in the area where Terry was killed.
The wounded crew member plead guilty to first-degree murder and
was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February 2014. A
recruiter who put together the group has also pleaded guilty and
may receive 30 years as well. Two other members of the crew
remain at large in Mexico.
(Reporting by Paul Ingram; Editing by Curtis Skinner and Peter
Cooney)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
