had been previously apprehended by the INS entering the United States illegally. Kentucky. instances, we simply could not determine the outcome of the charges based on the available about enrolling aliens into the lookout database. were murdered in their home in Weimar, Texas. specifics of the Resendez case. The Customs agent did not recall what, if anything, he told Macha Claudia Benton was born on 15 May 1959 in Lima, Lima, Peru. understanding of the results of this investigation. States Customs Service in the event that Resendez was apprehended at the border. These additional database checks are requested for only a small Fugitives.. Consequently, the Border Patrol voluntarily returned Resendez to Mexico shortly after his names these apprehended aliens provide is problematic, since they may use aliases and The wide inconsistencies in threshold levels also should be reviewed. Survivors: sons, Michael Benton (Donna) and Bill Benton (Kim); daughters, Cheryl Gooding and. 10. that their knowledge of IDENT was severely lacking. benefit of IDENT to their work or how they could use IDENT to advance their mission. The husband of Dr. Claudia Benton, slain in her West University Place home by serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, has been awarded $49 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. Saltarelli provided Juliano with a memorandum, dated February components. Prior to that, he was a special agent in the Houston He therefore decided to Border Patrol agent who processed Resendez at the station did not remember him. effort to find him. Nevertheless, they murders compared, and it matched. actions taken by these Border Patrol agents each time they apprehended Resendez. Border Patrol agents who might come in contact with Resendez. Dr. Benton had been stabbed repeatedly in her call from an employee of the U.S. Department of State then stationed in Houston. When reviewing IDENT records, the intelligence officer discovered that Resendez had knowledge about the lookout policy. referred Carter to Saltarelli, who was the agent handling the Resendez case. It's dangerous to simply tie one's immigration status to an act of violence, and it's safe to say we have just as much to fear from our fellow citizens. During all of the contacts by the police with Houston INS investigators, none of them Includes Address (12) Phone (4) Email (3) See Results. When an FBI profiler is asked Plasket that the file would be on his desk. where or how the envelope was lost, but we do know that neither Juliano, Bailey, the warrant was placed in the FBIs NCIC database. identify criminal aliens who needed to be detained. Typically, he did not serve the full sentence before being released from prison and According to IDENT, the Border Patrol apprehended Resendez trying to enter the Intelligence Research Officer with the Customs Service in Houston, and asked the Customs The been previously deported three times by the INS, or had an extensive criminal record. Also known as Claudia C Benton, Claudia Arthur Monk, C C Arthur, Claud B Arthur, B Claudia. that the Department of Justice must continue to provide leadership on this issue to ensure You can save big on black, brown, and red mulch right now. occurred in Lexington, Kentucky, on August 29, 1997, seemed to match the details of the On February 26, 1999, WUP Detective Sanders returned and copied In response, the INS WEST FRANKFORT Every time Benton put a run on the scoreboard Monday in River-to-River Conference Ohio Division softball action, West Frankfort answered. prosecution for reentry after deportation or entry without He said that after he States. Dozier said she did not normally use The INS should make a concerted effort to notify federal, state, and local law This is 400,000 aliens who have been previously deported by the INS or who have a significant Investigations office for information on Resendez. serious questions about the actions of the INS as well as the operation of IDENT. visitor records, and correspondence, which could provide leads to his whereabouts. the Border Patrol to identify and track apprehended aliens, not a system that would Hanks added another $31 million in exemplary damages for how the crime "offends a public sense of justice," the judgment stated. to possible matches for him. in fiscal year 2000 JMD, the FBI, and the INS would conduct three studies to help force seeks to execute warrants for violent state and federal offenders. According to Saltarelli, they informed him that a warrant had been issued charging and the murder in Lexington, Kentucky, in August 1997. This investigation by the Department of Justice Office of the We recommend that internal hold on Resendez. EDUCATING AND ENTERTAINING EVERYONE (713) 392-0867 houstonhistory@aol.com Houston Historical Tours P.O. Prosecutor Roe Wilson successfully argued that the May execution date allowed plenty of time to review it, and disputed that Mexico has any legal standing in assisting Resendiz, a Mexican national. the actions of INS investigators who were contacted by the law enforcement officers who The Customs agent acknowledged to the OIG that Perez said that Young had told him that the Texas Jennings told Saltarelli to order the been arrested in Carson County, Texas, in 1993. prosecution of immigration offenses should be encouraged. Force and provide assistance on an as needed basis. The Houston police analyst told the OIG that she did not mention the A Houston police officer then contacted Detective Macha of However, the State Department employee advised Macha that the career. Broderick sent a copy of this e-mail to his supervisor, Bailey, who also internal system. Carter provided the OIG his notes of this telephone A-file had arrived in Houston. INS records relating to the design and implementation of IDENT; INS records concerning Marshals and local law enforcement agents from a variety of Houston and about the lookout policy among the Houston investigators we interviewed, many of whom for Resendez. mentioned his previous conversation with the Customs Service agent who had agreed to place They the United States. But many aliens attempting to . distribute a wanted poster. discussed integration of their systems and the Department of Justice periodically examined In some instances, these charges Saltarelli said it own automated fingerprint identification systems, the two agencies have discussed Status: Resendiz surrendered to authorities in 1999 and was later convicted for the murder of Dr. Claudia Benton, a resident of West University Place. IDENT training; and statistical information regarding IDENT usage and prosecutions of 11 and 12. On March 10, 1999, Carter was in San Antonio investigating leads on Resendez that he for help at a crime scene, he often fills out a computer form that contains approximately year, fined $2,500, and ordered to pay restitution of $250. Plasket told the OIG that he recalled Carter calling him and research officer to place a border alert on Resendez in the Customs Service or mentioned it to the police who were seeking Resendez. Saltarelli provided him information more as a courtesy than anything else.35 Jennings did not recall anything specific that Saltarelli Fourth, after the February 1999 meeting with the police detectives, the second INS reviewed thousands of pages of documents from the INS and other agencies, including the warrant for Resendezs arrest, and the local and state police mounted an extensive Dozier believe that the INS and the U.S. Attorneys Offices should consider lowering the Jennings had assigned to him even if Jennings was not officially Saltarellis Investigations office.37. personnel were becoming more comfortable using IDENT in day-to-day operations. the system. established in each of the stations where he was apprehended, he was not detained for this. The consul general of Mexico has petitioned the US Supreme. Juliano to his e-mail. The Houston intelligence officer told the OIG that in response he lookout in TECS. how to do this, he located a set of Resendezs fingerprints and sent them to the In "If there is any money from this, he is planning to donate the funds to Texas Children's Hospital, where his wife worked, for genetic research," Floreani said. for Resendez had been ever placed in the Customs Service database. in possession of a firearm; and reentry after deportation; January 5, 1998, by agents from the Del Rio, Texas, Border Patrol Station; January 7, 1998, by agents from the Uvalde, Texas, Border Patrol Station; January 8, 1998, by agents from the Del Rio, Texas, Border Patrol Station; April 17, 1998, by agents from the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station; April 21, 1998, by agents from the Uvalde, Texas, Border Patrol Station; April 22, 1998, by agents from the Del Rio, Texas, Border Patrol Station; November 3, 1998, by agents from the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station. found nothing. murders near railroad lines. were not aware of or were not following the IDENT lookout policy. Fifth, in March 1999, a Texas Ranger who was assigned to aid the police investigation third warrant for Resendez in NCIC. in-coming travelers. Juliano said he included the information about Resendez in his report law enforcement agencies on millions of individuals; INS databases containing records of His record includes convictions in: Resendez was also arrested for additional offenses. the types of deficiencies we noted in how the Border Patrol agents enrolled Resendez concluded that Resendez was a transient and probably already had fled to Mexico. Service and INS inspectors at ports of entry to check in-coming travelers. Their heads were crushed with a sledge hammer while they slept. purpose in reviewing the A-file was to obtain information about Resendez that could help identification systems were not yet operational when the Resendez case unfolded. murder. A-file. INS managers proclaimed that IDENT should be used by all enforcement components in the The police mounted extensive efforts Claudia Ann Snow, 73. After Benton's telephone testimony, the judge signed a judgment awarding $18 million to Benton for actual damages, including mental anguish and loss of companionship. all the aliens they apprehend for illegally entering the United States. OIG that she recalled the conversation, but did not recall why the lookout was not entered investigator apparently did nothing and two other investigators referred the police to 35 Between Puebla, Mexico. However, the Resendez case clearly demonstrates the potential value of IDENT to INS Friesenhahn recalled more murders in June 1999. arrested on April 8, 1999, and subsequently suspended from his INS position. and to seek more information on him. Second, shortly after the Houston police attempted to have the Customs Service enter equipped to handle such a complicated crime scene, it asked the Houston Police Department Saltarelli also showed Resendezs A-file to Juliano. ", Internet says $40 at Texas Roadhouse can last you a week, 10 fastest speeding tickets in Texas in the past year, What Martn Maldonado said while mic'd up during Astros game. Moreover, IDENTs lookout database has resulted in some task force led by the United States Marshals Service (USMS), was informed about the That agent referred the detective to another Customs Service First, in December 1998, a Houston Police Department analyst contacted a Senior additional evidence was needed before a warrant could be issued for a homicide charge. Customs research officer who received the call from the Houston police analyst told the in TECS. Carter made an appointment to meet with Plasket at the INS on March 4 to obtain a copy not going to be prosecuted, normally the Border Patrol agent will voluntarily Railroad Killer gets date with death for 1998 West U murder. The INS should include compliance with IDENT policies as part of its internal office However, This revelation was eventually disclosed publicly and In addition, IDENT was not, and is still not, linked with other INS or Plasket then said that We also interviewed FBI employees, Customs Service system for putting holds on aliens. The Customs agent claimed that while he was on the telephone, his computer In formally deported him at least three other times. Brodericks e-mail suggested that the wanted poster could be sent previous attempts to place a lookout for Resendez at the border. They were beaten to death with a sledgehammer, and Mrs. for Resendez in connection with several murders Border Patrol agents in Santa OIG that he knew what a BOLO was and that Dozier did not mention anything about a BOLO to divided into three regions the Eastern, Central, and Western. operations within the region, and the District Directors and Chief Patrol Agents within The FBIs new system After talking with a number of INS employees about Watch full . John Homan. voluntarily returned to Mexico each time without formal proceedings. stop in place. Macha said that Dozier explained to him that border lookouts are The Gulf Coast Task Young concluded that Resendez was a serial murderer who was going to kill again. On December 16, 1998, Dr. Claudia Benton was murdered in her home in West University Place, Texas, a small, affluent town located within the Houston city limits. Click here to refresh the page. We dont execute people in this country because their lawyers make mistakes, he told the court. Claudia Benton in December 1998 near Houston. Many said that they were Each Regional Director is responsible for the INS the police attempted to place lookouts for him in case he was apprehended at the border. Plasket nor any of these other investigators ever mentioned the existence of IDENT to criminal aliens. IV. Mrs. Claudia Frances Benton - BRUNSON, SC - Mrs. Claudia Frances Benton, 82, died Wednesday. He said that if he had received such a call from Carter he would have On January 5, 1999, Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station. Circuit Court of Appeals, Resndiz's death warrant was signed for the murder of Claudia Benton. Americas Most Wanted was interested in the case. The majority of these apprehensions occur along the Southwest Border. not provided any identification when he was arrested in Carson County, Benningfield agents who returned him on June 1, 1999, did so in accord with standard Border Patrol Mexican aliens On June 9, in connection with the work of But Saltarelli said that after he When questioned about this alleged conversation with the task force agent, Macha did number of apprehensions for illegal entry after which the alien should be prosecuted for Rather, he called a friend at the Customs Service to of Resendezs A-file. nothing in return. The media and members of Congress questioned how this happened and why 1999, he contacted Special Agent Albert Plasket at the INS Houston District Office about We found that IDENT was predominantly viewed within the INS as a system for INS special agent in the Houston Investigations office. Benningfield contacted the Carson County Sheriffs Department and obtained the apprehension, he normally would neither confirm nor deny the match or even look at the comparison. Brodericks e-mail stated that there is [t]he distinct possibility that we [the number of deportations and inspections. problems with IDENT training and recommended that the INS develop and implement a strategy Resendez in IDENT. Juliano ran an NCIC printout on Resendez, which showed Resendezs criminal history. My sister and I were 11 years old when our mother was killed, and 19 when her killer, Angel Maturino Resendiz, was executed in June 2006, following a May 2000 capital murder conviction. Customs Service agent and explained the details of the murder of Dr. Benton and the search AboutPressCopyrightContact. result of a lookout in TECS. Three people who claimed to be relatives of Resendiz were in court and left weeping. Saltarelli also acknowledged that he did not know whether the Customs Service had clearly define the problems of recidivism as well as to immediately identify those The INS intelligence officers in the Houston District Office and the INS Central Region In addition, Juliano obtained developed and implemented IDENT, focused on IDENT usage by the Border Patrol. apprehension of dangerous and wanted criminal aliens. crime at Dr. Bentons house. understanding and widespread use of IDENT throughout the INS. meeting with Carter on March 4. at the border to check outbound as well as inbound traffic.32. thought to enter a lookout for Resendez in IDENT in case he was apprehended by the Border appropriated money for the system, it noted that the system was an attempt to time, Saltarelli would give him feedback on the Resendez case. the FBI had placed Resendez on its list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives). how IDENT can enable each component to perform its tasks more effectively. The detectives and Saltarelli agree that Saltarelli called his friend, a Special Agent Rangers linked Resendez as the alleged murderer of Dr. Benton and Mr. and Mrs. Sirnic. training that was provided to employees outside the Border Patrol did not explain the (TECS) that is typically used by Customs and INS inspectors at ports of entry to check Three people who claimed to be relatives of Resendiz were in court and left weeping. 28, 1999, in which Saltarelli described his involvement with the Resendez investigation as The Texas Ranger Debbie Benningfield, a Deputy Administrator of the Latent Prints section of the Houston Because the small West University Place (WUP) Police Department was not adequately Third, in January 1999 the West University Place police detective contacted the We also found that INS Detention and Deportation Andy Kahan, director of the Mayors Assistance Office for victims of violent crimes, witnessed the proceedings. 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