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2 men found guilty of murder in 2010 border agent's death
TUCSON, Ariz. – Two men were convicted of murder charges Thursday in the killing of a Border Patrol agent whose death brought to light the bungled federal gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious.
The jury found Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza, also known as Lionel Portillo-Meza, and Ivan Soto-Barraza, guilty of all counts. They face a sentence of life in prison.
The 2010 killing of agent Brian Terry exposed the Fast and Furious operation in which agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking the weapons. But the agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry's death. The operation set off a political firestorm, led to congressional investigations and became a major distraction for President Barack Obama in his first term.
TUCSON, Ariz. – Two men were convicted of murder charges Thursday in the killing of a Border Patrol agent whose death brought to light the bungled federal gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious.
The jury found Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza, also known as Lionel Portillo-Meza, and Ivan Soto-Barraza, guilty of all counts. They face a sentence of life in prison.
The 2010 killing of agent Brian Terry exposed the Fast and Furious operation in which agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking the weapons. But the agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry's death. The operation set off a political firestorm, led to congressional investigations and became a major distraction for President Barack Obama in his first term.
Terry was part of a four-man Border Patrol team elite tactical unit that had been on site in the desert for 48 hours to detain, arrest, and jail "rip off" artists who pounced on drug smugglers crossing the border. They spotted Sanchez-Meza, Portillo-Meza, and three others, ordered them to halt, but they ran instead. Terry was killed in the ensuing shootout, struck by an armor-piercing round against which his flak vest had no chance of protecting him.