Federal trial for alleged Border Patrol impostor to begin Monday (12:20 p.m.)

Sun-News report

LAS CRUCES — The trial for a Las Cruces man charged with impersonating a border agent will begin here in federal court today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Judith Herrera.

David Ramos-Arenas, 36, is charged with three counts of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States. The violations are punishable by a maximum sentence of nearly three years in prison and a fine of $250,000, according to court documents.

Ramos-Arenas faced similar charges involving the same incident during a two-day trial in state District Court last month. The trial ended Feb. 25 with a hung jury.

Visiting District Judge Lee Vesely of Silver City declared a mistrial.

Ramos-Arenas reportedly attempted to detain a woman in Mesquite while wearing a Border Patrol shirt and badge last year, according to court documents. The victim happened to work for the District Attorney's office in Las Cruces.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_11871823