Prosecution Wraps Up

DENVER -- Former immigration agent Cory Voorhis was no stranger to political activism.

In court Monday, ICE internal affairs investigator Manuel Olmos told a federal court jury he found letters Voorhis had written to Colorado Congress members, including one to Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

In the letter, Voorhis writes, "The positions of (then) Senator John Ashcroft can only harm our (Republican) party with his stances on abortion and mass immigration."

Voorhis described himself in other letters as a registered Republican who considered himself an independent.

Prosecutors said Voorhis used his interest in helping Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez win the governor's mansion while working as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who had access to the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) computer data base.

Olmos testified he found records that Voorhis spoke with the Beauprez campaign five times on Sept. 27, 2006, the same day he accessed the NCIC system to search for a man named Walter Ramo.

Ramo would eventually be connected to other names -- Carlos Estrada Medina and David Miranda.

That information would eventually get to the Beauprez campaign and end up as the focus of a political attack ad, made in consultation with members of the Trailhead group, and aired on local TV stations including Denver's 7.

Olmos told the jury the NCIC system is the only way those names could've been connected to the same person.

That's exactly what the Democrat Bill Ritter's campaign said as soon as the ad aired in October of that year, eventually leading to accusations that Voorhis accessed the data base illegally.

Initially charged with three misdemeanors, one of the counts was dismissed at the start of the trial.

Voorhis now faces two counts, which, if he is convicted, could bring up to two years in prison and fines of up to $200,000.

Olmos testified that Voorhis should've documented an anonymous tip he told the ICE Special Agent in Charge that he'd received prior to running the NCIC checks.

Olmos said he found no evidence that tip was logged anywhere.

Olmos testified Voorhis gave all three names, alien identification number, FBI number and dates of birth of Ramo to the head of the Beauprez campaign.

Under cross-examination, Olmos also agreed with defense attorneys it would make sense for an ICE agent to check a potential illegal alien out before opening up a case number and that it was proper to destroy records once it was determined a case was unnecessary.

Ramo was already in ICE custody in Georgia in the fall of 2006, Olmos testified.

There was discussion of an Omar Nunez, also known as Omar Perez, as a paid, confidential informant used by Voorhis and who is expected to testify in an upcoming false documentation case called "the biggest case in the ICE office right now."

Nunez was mentioned in letters written by Voorhis, obtained by Olmos in his investigation.

But Olmos told the jury, while he received a file on Nunez from ICE headquarters up to three months ago, it was Sunday when he realized Nunez was an informant and accessing the data base to find him would not be a violation.

Supporters of Voorhis believe that's why the third charge was dismissed.

The prosecution wrapped up its case late Monday.

The defense will begin putting on its case Tuesday.