Mexican official pleaded guilty in corruption case

Mexican Attorney General liaison, Jesus Quinonez-Marquez who worked in the Baja California office pleaded guilty to federal racketeering (RICO) conspiracy today and will serve 97 months behind bars. United States District Court Judge William Q. Hayes said after completing his custodial sentence, Quinonez-Marquez would be deported to Mexico where he will serve a three-year probation period. In his plea agreement, Quinonez-Marquez admitted that he dishonestly used his official position as the former Director of International Liaison for the Baja California Attorney General’s Office to further the criminal activities for a cartel controlled by Fernando Sanchez-Arellano (the FSO). “Specifically, Quinonez-Marquez admitted to using his position as a lawyer at the Attorney General’s Office to provide information to FSO members to avoid apprehension and prosecution for a double homicide which occurred in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 25, 2010, and to conspiring to launder $13 million dollars on behalf of the FSO,” according to US Attorney Laura E. Duffy. Law enforcement personnel assigned to the task force listened to hours of court-authorized wiretaps and other sophisticated investigative techniques to develop the mountains of evidence that led to the charges in this case. Duffy said there is only one more defendant awaiting trial. She indicated that Armando Villareal Heredia will likely face justice sometime in 2013. So far, 39 defendants have been arrested and convicted in this comprehensive case, from this long-term investigation conducted by the multiple agencies with the San Diego Cross Border Violence Task Force (CBVTF). The U.S. government organized CBVTF in an effort to target individuals involved in organized crime activities that affect both the United States and Mexico. Duffy praised the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for their extraordinary team effort that lead to the 39 organized crime convictions for Operation Luz Verde. For more stories: http://www.examiner.com/homeland-security-in-national/kimberly-dvorak © Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.