Wolf demands results of immigration probe in drunk-driving case

By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 14, 2010; 8:11 PM

A Virginia congressman has demanded that the Department of Homeland Security release the findings of its investigation into why Carlos Martinelly-Montano, an undocumented immigrant who was allegedly driving drunk in an August car crash that killed a woman, was not deported before the accident.

"The Department has an obligation to publicly disclose as much of the report as possible, without compromising any 'law enforcement sensitive' information," Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Citing a Washington Post article that quoted a high-ranking DHS official saying that the results of the DHS investigation into the case would not be made public, Wolf called on Napolitano to meet with police and county officials and give them a full account.

Martinelly-Montano, 23, a native of Bolivia, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter in the Aug. 1 crash. He was released from DHS custody in October 2008, even though he had been found repeatedly guilty of drunk driving.

The accident, which left Benedictine nun Denise Mosier dead and two other nuns injured, happened while Martinelly-Montano was awaiting a much-delayed deportation hearing, during which he had to periodically check in with DHS officials.


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