EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Departing U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton says a 10-year mandatory sentence levied against two former U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a drug smuggler and lying about it was "harsh."
Sutton said Tuesday during a farewell news conference that he never defended the punishments of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean.
Their case outraged conservative lawmakers who criticized Sutton for pursuing charges and said the agents were doing their jobs fighting violence and drug trafficking on the border.
Ramos and Compean were actually given slightly more than 10 years each. Former President George W. Bush commuted their sentences before leaving office, and both were released in February after serving two years.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
