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Support builds for agent who gained plea data

By Sara A. Carter
December 12, 2007

Ritter

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Grass-roots support is gaining momentum for a Colorado federal agent charged with unlawfully accessing information from a national database that was used in an attack ad during a political campaign.

Corey Voorhis, a former special agent with the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is gaining support as he faces a political and legal firestorm for accessing information from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) that was used in a campaign ad during the 2006 gubernatorial race in Colorado.

Supporters say the case raises the question: "What is the local, state and federal government doing to deport illegal aliens that have committed serious crimes," said Michael G. Riebau, a retired 35-year ICE special agent and spokesman for the Corey Voorhis Defense Fund. "And why are they charging a top agent for a crime he didn't commit?"

"There's really a two-tier system of justice that's operational in Denver, Colorado," said Mr. Riebau, who created the fund to help Mr. Voorhis raise money for his defense. "One for the alien and the other for everyone else. Mr. Voorhis never believed the information he gave the congressman's office for oversight would be used in a campaign — he was just doing his job as required by law. People can see right through this injustice."

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr., a Democrat whose office is at the center of the case, said Mr. Voorhis illegally accessed information from the NCIC for the political benefit of his Republican challenger, Bob Beauprez.

The ad featured an illegal alien to whom Mr. Ritter had granted a plea bargain for a drug offense while he was Denver's district attorney. It was discovered later that the illegal alien, using a different name, committed other crimes after the plea.

Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Mr. Ritter, told The Washington Times Monday that Mr. Voorhis violated the law and that he should pay for his crime. He also said Mr. Voorhis was not being singled out.

"There is no double standard and there is only one criminal justice system," he said. "Very simply, Corey Voorhis is a sworn federal law officer and he has admitted that he broke the law and he should be punished."

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