Agent tied to guv-ad dispute cited in 1996 over beating at party

The federal agent suspected of leaking confidential information used to attack Bill Ritter's plea bargains for illegal immigrants once received a plea deal himself after punching and kicking a man unconscious at a Christmas party.

Cory David Voorhis, 37, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, has become a heroic "whistleblower" to some as he faces an investigation by the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

At issue is whether he leaked restricted information from an FBI criminal justice database to Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez's gubernatorial campaign for use in the series of TV ads accusing former Denver District Attorney Ritter of granting plea bargains that allowed immigrants who committed crimes to avoid deportation.

Beauprez, who has refused to publicly name his "informant," has hailed him as "a conscientious member of law enforcement" who "broke the law" to expose what he called Ritter's reckless policy.

Several sources have confirmed that Voorhis is the target of the probe, and investigators are expected to examine the Beauprez campaign's involvement in the matter.

At a 1996 holiday party in Broomfield, Voorhis was accused of punching Charles Anthony Martinez in the head from behind, knocking him into a wall. As Martinez lay on the ground unconscious, Voorhis allegedly kicked him in the head, then walked away, according to a report by Adams County sheriff's deputies.

Martinez, who was then a 43-year-old backhoe operator, told deputies there had been unspecified bad blood between him and Voorhis for several years.

Two witnesses told investigators they saw Martinez slam into the wall and then his head hit the floor "very hard" before a 6-foot man with brown hair kicked the "knocked out" victim in the head, the report stated.

Voorhis was charged with third- degree assault and disorderly conduct, but in April 1997 he pleaded guilty to the petty offense of disorderly conduct and the assault charge was thrown out. He paid a $168 fine with no jail time.

Voorhis was a federal agent at the time of the attack, but the sheriff's report left his occupation blank and he gave a Henderson body shop as his employer's address. The shop owner, Randy McLain, said Voorhis was a friend and would sometimes help out.

Carl Rusnok, a regional ICE spokesman, said he was unable to determine Thursday afternoon what criminal violations would bar someone for working as an ICE agent.

The FBI probe and the decade-old party clash need to be viewed "in light of the over 14 years of exemplary service that Mr. Voorhis provided to the citizens of the U.S. as a Border Patrol agent and subsequently as an ICE agent," said lawyer Trip Mackintosh, who is representing him in the current case.

He described Voorhis as a lawman driven by "his commitment to national security (and) his commitment to public safety," who also served two years as an Army calvary scout. He was called up during the 1991 Gulf War, but the conflict ended before he deployed to Iraq.

A fellow ICE official has portrayed Voorhis as a dedicated agent who became fed up with Ritter's policy of allowing immigrant drug traffickers to plead guilty to the lesser charge of felony farmland trespass, allowing them to avoid deportation and often swiftly return to the street.

In general comments, Mackintosh echoed that theme, saying Voorhis' concerns about protecting Americans from dangerous illegal immigrants were shared by his law enforcement colleagues - and many Americans.

"I would say regardless of what side of the aisle you're on, there's a shared concern with respect to immigration issues, crimes committed by illegal immigrants and how to deal with the problem," Mackintosh said. "I think that is a concern that's shared by just about any responsible person looking at the issue."

The defense team, Mackintosh and former top federal prosecutor Bill Taylor, declined to say whether Voorhis has spoken to investigators in the FBI probe.

But Mackintosh said the attorneys "and Mr. Voorhis look forward to working cooperatively with the relevant (investigating) agencies as this matter moves forward."

Asked whether Voorhis might cooperate with investigators, Mackintosh said: "You can draw this conclusion."