The Terry family spokesman said, “We do not celebrate the sentence today. We acknowledge justice. In this particular case with this particular defendant we think this sentence is appropriate.”
Osorio-Arellanes had pled guilty to first degree murder. Although he was eligible for the death sentence, prosecutors sought the 30 year sentence.
Osorio-Arellanes, Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga, Ivan Soto-Barraza, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes and Lionel Portillo-Meza were charged with crimes including first degree murder, second degree murder, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, attempted interference with commerce by robbery, use and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, assault on a federal officer and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Osorio-Arellanes and the others had illegally entered the United States from Mexico for the purpose of robbing drug traffickers of their contraband. In addition to the murder of Agent Terry, the five defendants assaulted Border Patrol Agents William Castano, Gabriel Fragoza and Timothy Keller, who were with Agent Terry during the firefight.
Operation Fast and Furious contributed to the deaths of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and an unknown number of Mexican citizens. It also created an ongoing public safety hazard on both sides of the border. The failures happened because of conscious decisions to encourage gun dealers to sell to known traffickers and avoid interdicting those weapons or even questioning suspects, all in the hope that would lead law enforcement to cartel connections and a larger case, according to the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes has been in custody since his arrest the night of the shooting.
Operation Fast and Furious contributed to the deaths of Agent Terry, ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata, and an unknown number of Mexican citizens. It has also created an ongoing public safety hazard on both sides of the border.
Agents Terry’s family thanked the Mexican government, and agents on both sides of the border for their work in bringing justice today.
Jay Dobyns was in the courtroom for the sentencing. Dobyns is a recently retired Special Agent and veteran undercover operative with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Dobyns has stood up for agent whistleblowers in the ATF’s “Operation Fast and Furious” gun running scheme. Some of the same ATF officials that were responsible for “Operation Fast and Furious were the same officials that ignored murder and violence threats against Dobyns and his family for his undercover work.
Dobyns said after the sentencing, “We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The officials are still covering up issues that go much deeper. It is all about power protecting power. It is about corruption.”
Dobyns became well-known after his undercover work with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Special Agent Dobyns was selected as lead undercover agent for an ATF Task Force ordered to investigate the Hells Angels in Arizona, California and Nevada under what was designated as “Operation Black Biscuit” by ATF.