Pubdate: Sat, 01 Dec 2001
Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
Copyright: 2001 Pulitzer Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23
Author: Joe Salkowski

BORDER AGENT HELD ON BRIBERY CHARGES

A U.S. Border Patrol agent faces three bribery counts accusing him of 
selling his agency's reports on marijuana seizures.

Charles D. Brown, 55, was charged Friday with accepting $1,000 apiece for 
three reports detailing Southern Arizona drug seizures. He faces up to 15 
years in prison or up to $750,000 in fines if he's convicted of selling the 
documents, which drug dealers can use to account for lost shipments or 
verify their subordinates' stories.

Brown is a supervisory agent who served 23 years with the Border Patrol. An 
agency spokesman declined to comment.

The arrest came after an investigation by the Southern Arizona Corruption 
Task Force, a group that includes the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement 
Administration, the U.S. Customs Service's internal affairs office and the 
U.S. Attorney's Office, among others.

FBI spokesman Ed Hall issued a release saying Brown facilitated criminal 
activities by providing the reports to a drug trafficking organization. The 
criminal complaint, though, states only that Brown "sold the reports to a 
person for $1,000 each on three different occasions" between Aug. 22 and 
Nov. 29.

Brown will remain in federal custody at least until a detention hearing set 
for Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Bernardo Velasco.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart