Thread: Lou Dobbs Transcript on Compean Re-sentencing

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DOBBS: Now developments in the case of former border patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. A judge today upheld Compean's 12-year sentence for shooting a criminal illegal alien while he was fleeing. This comes even after some of his other convictions in this case were overturned by an appellate court. Casey Wian has the latest on this case of absolute outrageous justice from El Paso, Texas.

DOBBS: We'll be talking with oilman T. Boone Pickens in just a moment about energy independence and whether it's possible, but first our report on the latest developments in the case of former border patrol agents Compean and Ramos. A federal judge today upheld Compean's 12-year sentence for shooting a criminal illegal alien drug smuggler who was given immunity to testify against those two border patrol agents while still running drugs, of course. Casey Wian has the latest for us from El Paso, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Patty Compean's husband, Jose, a former border patrol agent, has spent nearly two years in prison, in protective custody for his part in the shooting and wounding of an illegal alien drug smuggler from Mexico in 2005. She was allowed to spend eight minutes with her noticeably thinner husband before a hearing to determine if his 12-year prison sentence would be modified now that an appeals court has overturned some of Compean's convictions.

PATTY COMPEAN, WIFE OF JOSE COMPEAN: He's doing very, very well considering that he's in solitary and it has to do a lot with the support and the love that he feels from the American people.

WIAN: Supporters of Compean and fellow imprisoned border patrol agent Ignacio Ramos say they are victims of an over zealous prosecution. They've collected more than 276,000 signatures asking President Bush for pardons. Many were hoping Judge Kathleen Cardone would reduce Compean's prison term by up to two years. Ten years of the agent's sentences are mandatory under a law intended to penalize criminals who use a gun to commit a crime. But Compean's attorney asked the judge to impose the same sentence, which she did. He said reduced prison time could be opposed by prosecutors and jeopardized what many believe is the agent's best hope, a presidential commutation of sentence.

ED MASON, ATTORNEY FOR JOSE COMPEAN: We have an application for commutation pending at the department of justice. And there, it will go to the president's desk. But as long as we have pending litigation, we're not entitled to a commutation, which is different from a pardon.

WIAN: Different in that his conviction would stand, but his sentence would not. For now, Compean returns to prison.

CLAUDIA MARTINEZ, SISTER OF JOSE COMPEAN: All we can do is pray and hope, you know, that's all we have left at this point. Hopefully, things will turn around for us.

WIAN: After the hearing, Patty Compean hugged Monica Ramos, Ingacio's wife. He'll be in court Thursday but his attorney's will pursue an entirely different legal strategy including a reduction of his sentence and a transfer to a minimum security prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: The agents' families did receive good news recently. An anonymous donor has given $100,000 to their defense fund to help offset the incredible cost of having two fathers incarcerated.

DOBBS: All right, Casey, thank you very much. We'll continue to follow those developments. It's just an outrageous miscarriage of justice, and no amount of rationalization can change that. And apparently, this president doesn't have the sufficient character to try to reverse what is an outright wrong on the part of his administration. But anyway, we'll keep you up to date with further developments coming tomorrow from El Paso.

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