EL PASO — The second of two former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a fleeing drug smuggler was formally resentenced Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Ignacio Ramos was again given an 11-year federal prison term a day after Jose Alonso Compean was resentenced to his original 12-year term. Both were convicted in 2006 of shooting admitted and now-convicted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, an illegal immigrant, and trying to cover up the incident.
A federal judge in El Paso resentenced Ramos on charges of assault, civil rights violations and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
In July, the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans forced the resentencing by throwing out obstruction of justice charges against the pair while upholding the most serious convictions, including the weapons charge that carried a mandatory 10-year prison term.
Compean and Rios have been in prison for almost two years.
Their case prompted a massive outcry from supporters who argued that U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton should have focused efforts on prosecuting Aldrete. Several members of Congress have asked President George W. Bush to pardon the former agents, or at least commute their sentences. Presidents generally issue such orders in their final days in office.
Aldrete, who admitted smuggling several hundred pounds of marijuana on the day he was shot in 2005, pleaded guilty earlier this year to drug charges related to two smuggling attempts several months after he was shot in the buttocks while running away from Ramos and Compean. The same federal judge who sentenced the former agents ordered Aldrete to serve 9 1/2 years in prison.
Ramos and Compean argued during their trials that they acted in self defense because they believed Aldrete was armed. Aldrete denied having a weapon the day he was shot.
Beginning Dec. 15, the government would reduce interest rates for homeowners who are at least three months behind on their mortgage payments and owe 90 percent or more than their home is worth. The interest rate would be cut so that they don't have to pay more than 38 percent of their income for housing. Some mortgages also might be extended to 40 years from 30.
The hope is that other mortgage companies will follow Fannie and Freddie's lead and offer similar restructurings, since most subprime loans won't be covered by the plan.
Felix Salmon offers a quick run-down of the plan's shortcomings:
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