Thread: Pleads Guilty To Letting Infested Products Enter US

USDA Employee Pleads Guilty To Letting Infested Products Enter US
Thursday , July 10, 2008 Posted: 12:45 PM


Case first prosecution in under federal agricultural statute

LAREDO - A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employee has pleaded guilty to illegally permitting infested agricultural products to enter the United States from Mexico.

Jose Homero Reyes will be sentenced September 3.

The 48-year-old worked as a USDA plant protection and quarantine officer. As part of the guilty plea, Reyes admitted that beginning in or about 2005 and continuing to April 15, 2008, he conspired with others to not properly perform fumigations, thereby permitting agricultural products infested with a plant pest to enter the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agricultural inspectors are responsible for initially inspecting trucks carrying agricultural products into the United States via Laredo from Mexico. At or near the initial inspection, CBP agricultural inspectors send a sample of any agricultural product suspected of being infested with a plant pest to plant protection and quarantine for a final determination. If a determination is made that a truck entering the U.S. is carrying an agricultural product infested with a plant pest, the infested product must be fumigated before the truck is permitted to leave Laredo.

A plant protection and quarantine officer is required to be present during the fumigation, because the officer must make initial calculations regarding the level of gas needed to spray the agricultural product infested with a plant pest and subsequently advise the fumigation technician of the same prior to beginning the fumigation. Following this, the officer is required to submit a written report to the USDA documenting the fumigation results. The truck carrying the agricultural products is not permitted to leave Laredo until the plant protection and quarantine officer provides consent.

The fumigations normally occur after-hours, and the plant protection and quarantine officers are paid overtime for their work related to the fumigations. The overtime paid to the plant protection and quarantine officers as well as the cost for the company performing the fumigations are ultimately passed onto either the Mexican exporter or the owner of the agricultural goods.

As part of his guilty plea, Reyes admitted he provided consent to the freight forwarding company/customs broker, allowing the trucks carrying agricultural products infested with a plant pest to leave Laredo, knowing that the agricultural products were not properly fumigated. Reyes would also falsely claim overtime for hours he never worked in addition to submitting false written reports to the USDA falsely documenting the fumigation results.

Arturo Ramirez, 46, the owner of Ambush Exterminators, a pest control service located in Laredo, and Robert Perez, 35, who previously worked as a USDA plant protection and quarantine officer, are also charged in the superseding indictment. Ramirez previously pleaded guilty on June 17. Perez is scheduled for trial September 12.

Rafael Edmundo Melo Jr., a fourth USDA plant protection and quarantine officer, was also originally charged by indictment in this case. The indictment against Melo was dismissed by the government after he committed suicide.

The guilty plea to conspiracy to permit agricultural products infested with a plant pest to enter the United States carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction. Each of the guilty pleas to the substantive counts of permitting an infested agricultural product from entering the U.S. carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation leading to these guilty pleas was a joint investigation by the FBI's Public Corruption Task Force and the USDA - Office of Inspector General. The Task Force includes the Laredo Police Department, Department of Homeland Security - Office of the Inspector General and CBP - Office of Internal Affairs. Special agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement also assisted in the operation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sam Sheldon and James Seaman.

http://www.newschannel5.tv/2008/7/10/994399/

I ask again, WHY in the world would we put employees of hispanic heritage in any position dealing with Mexico?!?!?!? How much damage have these men caused?

Yes, and let's just have the fox guard the hen house while we're at it. Everything will be fine.

The sad part is they are hurting Mexico and its people when they get caught because more and more US Citizens,like myself, are refusing to buy food produced in Mexico.

Originally Posted by USPatriot

The sad part is they are hurting Mexico and its people when they get caught because more and more US Citizens,like myself, are refusing to buy food produced in Mexico.

same here. when we see 'product of mexico' i do not buy it! and i encourage others to do the same.

This sort of corruption evidently is infiltrating our Border Patrol along the Mexican border, too. The federal government now also has "given the green light" to people who "already speak Spanish" to shorten their training periods before they become active Border Patrol Agents during the current push to train so many new agents. This means that it will be easier for people with no loyalty for the U.S. to "slip through" the vetting process, and easier for those who entered the service with good intentions to become prey to outside influences through inexperience.

It really is an insult to the many Mexican-Americans who previously served with great honesty and loyalty in so many capacities in this region, and in our armed forces, too, that they, with the rest of us, are now "being buried" in this flood of corruption!

Originally Posted by Texas2step

It really is an insult to the many Mexican-Americans who previously served with great honesty and loyalty in so many capacities in this region, and in our armed forces, too, that they, with the rest of us, are now "being buried" in this flood of corruption!

Amen !

Originally Posted by Texas2step

This sort of corruption evidently is infiltrating our Border Patrol along the Mexican border, too. The federal government now also has "given the green light" to people who "already speak Spanish" to shorten their training periods before they become active Border Patrol Agents during the current push to train so many new agents. This means that it will be easier for people with no loyalty for the U.S. to "slip through" the vetting process, and easier for those who entered the service with good intentions to become prey to outside influences through inexperience.

It really is an insult to the many Mexican-Americans who previously served with great honesty and loyalty in so many capacities in this region, and in our armed forces, too, that they, with the rest of us, are now "being buried" in this flood of corruption!

Ditto!

Originally Posted by Lone_Patriot

Originally Posted by USPatriot

The sad part is they are hurting Mexico and its people when they get caught because more and more US Citizens,like myself, are refusing to buy food produced in Mexico.

same here. when we see 'product of mexico' i do not buy it! and i encourage others to do the same.

Yup Mexican and China things are boycotted here!

Some Hispanics are representing Mexico's interest at all costs, whether it might make Americans sick or even kill them in the process. Its all about them and their success with absolute disregard toward our laws or any of our people.

I agree with Texas2step- people like Jose Homero Reyes is an insult to Mexicans that became Americans and who have worked so hard to make a life here.

Why even take a chance? BOYCOTT ALL FOOD PRODUCTS FROM MEXICO!