Voorhis named as source of campaign ad info

Beauprez political aide testifies tip came from agent

By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Thursday, April 3, 2008

John Marshall was campaign manager for Bob Beauprez.

John Marshall, campaign manager for former gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, testified Wednesday that federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis was his confidential source for key information used in a campaign ad against now-Gov. Bill Ritter about an illegal immigrant.

Voorhis is accused of accessing the National Crime Information Center database to obtain information on illegal immigrants who received plea deals from Ritter's office when Ritter was the Denver district attorney.

Federal prosecutors say his research was for political purposes and illegal, because the database can be used only for law enforcement.

The defense says he was doing his job, checking on leads about undocumented, criminal aliens.

Two television ads

Voorhis' information led to two television ads by the campaign of Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez, attacking Ritter, his Democratic and ultimately victorious opponent.

One said Ritter had allowed 152 "criminal aliens" to plead down charges for major crimes such as drug dealing to the minor charge of agricultural trespass. Many people assumed that all 152 were illegal immigrants, though the ad did not say that.

The second ad said Ritter had allowed illegal immigrant Carlos Estrada Medina, arrested for distribution of heroin, to plead guilty to agricultural trespass and avoid deportation. Then, Medina went to California and was arrested for lewd acts with a child.

At issue was how the Beauprez campaign figured out that a man arrested in Denver under the name Walter Noel Ramo was the same Carlos Estrada Medina arrested in California.

Marshall described "frenetic" days in the last weeks of the cash-strapped Beauprez campaign, waiting for confirmation of Voorhis' most explosive tip, the one about Estrada Medina.

He described preparing 80 percent to 90 percent of a campaign ad based on the tip and then calling researchers in California repeatedly to find out if they had confirmed the information in public records.

"I was on the phone every day, saying, 'What's the status, what's the status?' " he said.

The ads were prompted by Voorhis - who worked in an immigration office next door to campaign headquarters - calling Marshall with a tip about dozens of illegal immigrants plea-bargaining felonies down to the odd and minor charge of trespassing on farmland.

Effect of plea bargains

The pleas meant legal immigrants would not be deported for a felony. Defense attorney Bill Taylor said it had the same effect on illegal immigrants, because federal immigration authorities didn't have the money to deport those convicted of misdemeanors.

Marshall said he had public court records in Denver checked and gave Voorhis a list of about 150 agricultural trespass cases. In a small number of cases, the court records said the person was here illegally, Marshall said.

Federal immigration authorities will not say publicly whether someone is illegal, or even provide a person's alien number.

Then Voorhis took the list and came back with more information, including the tip on Ramo being arrested as Estrada Medina for a sexual attack on a child, Marshall said. Marshall immediately saw it as a terrific campaign ad and ordered creation of the spot.

But he didn't give the go-ahead on the ad until Republican Party researchers in California matched up the two names, apparently through the alien number provided by Voorhis.

Reporters discovered they could not verify the ads because public sources could not prove the two names referred to the same man. Only the NCIC database could make that connection.

Marshall said when Ritter alleged the ad came from information accessed illegally, he thought it was "a standard political allegation." But when authorities began investigating, he talked to Voorhis and recommended an attorney.

That was the last time they spoke, he said.

imsea@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5438

• April 3, 2008

  12:59 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Reality_Check writes:

  This law-breaking Repug traitor Voorhis deserves to spend some time in prison with the rest of the criminal Bu$hite neo-cons.

• April 3, 2008

  12:59 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Shaupeen writes:

  Not only that, but his cousin Jason killed a whole bunch of people up at Crystal Lake!

• April 3, 2008

  4:02 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Elrey writes:

  Doesn't the caption on your accompanying picture give the name of a Bronco's receiver rather than that of the campaign manager?

• April 3, 2008

  8:02 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Golden writes:

  Reality Check you live in a fantasy world.
  Bill Ritter turns drug dealers and child molesters loose in our city and you want to punish the person who brought this to the light of day. Do you not want to punish Ritter for violating the oath he took as DA to uphold and enforce the law? No...that would be too much to ask. You are a fn moron.

  Would you think this was a bushie neo-con created problem if one of these ag tresspassing child molesting drug dealers broke into your house and raped your wife and duaghter, or perhaps just throw a rope around your neck and drag you behind their pickup for a mile or so... Perhaps that might change your mind.
  I am proud of Voorhis for blowing the whistle on Ritter and his pantyhwaist approach to law enforcement while he was DA. I wish Voorhis would have done this years ago.

  I love you Reality_Check...write back after you've been mugged by one of the illegals Ritter and Hickenlooper encourage to move to our city while they throw the book at ICE agents...

  And before you foist this off on the federal government, keep in mind that drug engorcement is also a federal issue, yet states and cities everywhere still enforce those laws.

• April 3, 2008

  8:16 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  rickg19611 writes:

  Typical Democrats.... desperate to keep the citizens from knowing the corrupt actions of Bill "Illegals are My Supporters" Ritter.

  Why are Democrats so desperate to cover up their crimes? They know they need SECRECY because if citizens know what Democrats do on a regular basis, they'd never get any votes outside of whacko Boulder.

• April 3, 2008

  8:39 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  you are kidding me right rickyg? You support a Bush administration that has ignored subpoena's, hidden evidence, pardoned a convicted liar, refused to even say who drafted the energy policy, and a thousand other acts denying access to information about the most basic governmental decisions and you are on here claiming the Democrats are hiding information. Hypocrite.

  By the way, after the attack add about the plea bargains played and these allegations got front page news, what was the result of the election? Oh yeah, Ritter won in a landslide. Face it ricky, the rest of the populace just does not hate brown people like you do.

• April 3, 2008

  9:44 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Spencer writes:

  you have to wear boots to work for Beauprez

• April 3, 2008

  9:52 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  RickyLee writes:

  buffsblg conviently forgets
  "I did not have sexual relations with that woman".
  Let's talk about lies, buffsblg.

  Cory Voorhis deserves a medal, and to be charged with no more than "agricultural tresspass"...fair's fair, right?

• April 3, 2008

  9:53 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  AC writes:

  Voorhis worked for the very agency that was supposed to deport illegals who committed crimes. It was Voorhis' employer's failure to do so and allow such a huge backlog that has caused the crisis and forced local DAs, sheriffs, police and jail authorities into doing what they do.

  Why wasn't Voorhis out driving these people Ritter had to deal with to the border instead of playing politics with a confidential data base? Let's put the blame where it is.

• April 3, 2008

  9:54 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  newsguy writes:

  No wonder Beauprez lost. According to the picture attached to the article, his campaign manager was a Denver Bronco.

• April 3, 2008

  11:13 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  finer299 writes:

  It seems that you anti-Cory people are not informed. How many of you have sat in on the court case?

  How would you feel if you had the U.S.government in their sights? Accusing you of a crime, when indeed you knew that wasn't true.

  Cory Voorhis may have given his Congressman information on the outrageous lack of enforcment of those criminals in our country illegally, but the matching up of names was done by others in California. This is all public information. He was reporting this to a sitting Congressman, Bob Beauprez, which was the correct authority to report this to.

  Every day when Cory went to work, he put not only his life on the line, but his reputation, to uphold his Oath of Office and protect the lives of American citizens. In addition, his Oath was to protect the Constitution of the United States.

  Cory has my deep appreciation and respect.

• April 3, 2008

  11:28 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  Ritter had allowed illegal immigrant Carlos Estrada Medina, arrested for distribution of heroin, to plead guilty to agricultural trespass and avoid deportation. Then, Medina went to California and was arrested for lewd acts with a child.

  Ritter you S_U_C_K!!!!!!!!

• April 3, 2008

  11:37 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  JSeifert writes:

  It just shows you what comes out of Denver is why its called a cow town. You idiots voted Ritter in so eat the results.

• April 3, 2008

  12:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RickyLee writes:

  I certainly didn't vote for that worthless piece of s%*t.

  Nice our governor and lefties in general care more about an
  ILLEGAL ALIEN HEROIN DEALER RAPIST than American citizens.

  This is a great example of the need to protect one's self,
  because the "authorities" sure as hell won't protect you,
  they're too busy protecting SCUMBAGS...birds of a feather...

  LONG LIVE THE 2ND AMENDMENT.

• April 3, 2008

  1:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Spencer writes:

  Was Cory elected?

• April 3, 2008

  1:57 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  El_Rabino writes:

  Federal prosecutors say his research was for political purposes and illegal, because the database can be used only for law enforcement.

  Voorhis is an illegal.

• April 3, 2008

  1:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Gene writes:

  Is Voorhis a patriot? Yes.

• April 3, 2008

  2:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RickyLee writes:

  Spencer...use some grey matter and see the post RIGHT BEFORE MINE....

• April 3, 2008

  5:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Frank25 writes:

  District Attorney Bill Ritter for City and County of Denver put one of my friends into early grave by selective persecution (not prosecution) of Denver laws forcing gun dealers out of city in 2000-01, so I have no respect for him as Governor. His campaign was built on "feel good" promises, but I have not seen production of any of those promises. Lot of talk, commissions, panels, studies, and lot of data to be added to that collected over the years by Gov. Lamm, Gov. Romer, Gov. Owens, so archive stack is higher. Have seen Cost of living go up, but no real advance in transportation, healthcare, education, or other items that would get special treatment.
  Bob Beauprez had a record of service to Colorado and connections (contacts) to get something done, not spend 2 years and future in studying and learning. Now, I will get to Mr. Voorhis who tried to tell us "the DA has no clothes". In comparison Mr. Ritter bragged he had plea-bargained 97% of cases that came through his office. Did I feel safe? That is reason I avoided going into Denver city or county. When Governor Bill Owens called legislators back in 2006, to write "immigration contol" laws, I saw an immediate decline in "problem households" in my part of Aurora. And recently both papers indicated crimes by illegal aliens had decreased in most areas of metro area. That did not occur from anything I saw Mr. Ritter involved with. Cory Voorhies should receive recognition for trying to do his job, and protect U.S. citizens. God knows he received resistance from his superiors and certain city officials.

• April 5, 2008

  2:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sky writes:

  YOUR WAKE UP CALL... CASE DISMISSED for Cory and a few others!
  aiding and abetting

  Definition:
  
  help somebody: to assist somebody to do something, especially something illegal

  http://messages.yahoo.com/Government_...

  From the L.A. Times

  1. 40% of all workers in L.A. County ( L.A. County has 10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants working without a green card.

  2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

  3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.

  4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on

  Medi- Cal, whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

  5. Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.

  6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.

  7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.

  8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

  9. 21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish Speaking.

  10. In L.A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 3.9 million speak Spanish.

  (There are 10.2 million people in L.A. County ).

  (All of the above are from the Los Angeles Times)

  Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on welfare.

  Over 70% of the United States ' annual population growth

  (and over 90% of California , Florida , and New York )

  results from immigration.

  29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.

  We are a bunch of fools for letting this continue.

  WHY CAN'T WE SEND THEM HOME?

  HOW CAN YOU HELP?

  Well - give them Legal Identification if need be more than one - you know like 8! Than we can get this number up to 40 billion quicker!