By any measure, the photograph of Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Sanez at the head of the group leading fugitive killer Amit Livingston off the plane is invaluable as he seeks reelection.
But did you know that Saenz flew to Houston to make sure he was on the same plane that brought Livingston back to the custody of the Cameron County Sheriff's Dept.compliments of the Cameron County residents?
Sources within law enforcement have told us that Saenz board the United Airlines flight in Houston and that even though he had no role to play in the transfer of the prisoner's custody from the U.S. Marshal's Office to the Cameron County Sheriff's Dept. investigator Carlos Garza, insisted on going down the steps first to maximize the public relations potential of the coverage.
When the plane landed, Garza went aboard to confer with the marshals and take custody of the prisoner. Saenz's chief investigator George DeLaunay, was already on the plane with his boss and formed part of the procession. (He can be seen in the photo below, the white-haired guy behind one of the marshals.)
"Everyone snubbed Luis," said a member of the law enforcement team present at the tarmac. "As a district attorney he really had no role to play in the transfer of custody. Everyone saw it as an attempt to grab the credit in front of the cameras."
Saenz did hold a belated press conference where he trotted out the mother Hermila Hernandez, the Edinburg teacher slain by Livingston in 2005. By then, Livingston had been taken to the Rucker-Carrizales Corrections Center. She, of course, thanked the DA for bringing him back.
A special guest at the "conference" was Sheriff candidate Victor Cortez, the former head of the Public Integrity Unit under Saenz. Although the DA did not invite other candidates to the media blitz, Cortez was. In his candidate website, he also claims he was "part of the team that assisted in locating him in India."
Hermila Hernandez, the Edinburg teacher slain by Livingston in 2005. After his plea bargain with After Livingston had accepted the 23-year sentence, D.A. Armando Villalobos, 404th District Court Judge Abel Limas agreed to give him 60 days to "put his affairs in order" and Livingston was not seen for the next eight years.
Both Villalobos and Limas are serving federal prison sentences for their part in the Livingston affair, among other cases.If you saw the coverage, you will see that the man who accepted custody of the prisoner was Sheriff Investigator Carlos Garza who – along with the two federal officers – escorted Livingston into the awaiting Sheriff's Dept. SUV. Saenz – apart from walking down the steps holding on to a file folder, did not play a part in the exchange.
During the coverage that followed, it was revealed that as part of the extradition process, Saenz agreed not to file additional state charges against the fugitive. Federal prosecutors also dropped their charges for fleeing arrest to avoid incarceration in federal court Wednesday.
A State Dept. memorandum states that the Marshal's Office had located Livingston in India as early as 2008, and had initiated the process to bring him back to serve his sentence, full four years before Saenz took office. There is no mention of Cortez (who didn't come into the picture until Saenz took office in 2012) assisting them in "locating him in India."
http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/
So what was the result of the full-blown press conferences, the trips to Washington D.C. and the rest of the hoopla generated by the DA's press relations bunch?
By agreeing not to file state charges, Livingston (23 years with a chance of parole at 2 days for each one served), could possibly be out at about the same time that Villalobos finishes his 13-year federal sentence (straight time).
What the murderer Livingston got (and Saenz went along with) was actually an eight-year vacation with a possibility of parole after serving half his time.
But Luis did get a photo op to help with his reelection. Look for the photo to be featured prominently in his reelection literature, website, and Facebook pages. Thank you taxpayers and residents of Cameron County!
(We have already filed out information request with the county on the cost to the county treasury of the plane trip for Saenz. and DeLaunay. Let's see what they tell us.)
10 comments:
It's all a political mirrow stunt . You didn't see it now, now you see it. The D.A. Was doing a Manuel King of the 1930's in "Bringing Them Back Alive". You can spot the D.A. Deboarding the plane in his Tarzan G-string. Chris Valdez (Boy) was cheering for him. Jane stayed at her tree top suite. Zamora) in the Congo.
And according to other law enforcement amd media, the photo with Carlos Garza was staged by Carlos Garza. He placed the prisoner in the car a second time for the media to take a pic. The sheriff also held his own press conference that was sparcely attended. The sheriff dept even tried to convince the victim's mother to go to the jail with them from the airport. The mother snubbed them. Now that is pitiful.
Luis Saenz is a DICK! As the Texas saying goes "He's all hat an no cows." Luis is likely to be on NPR next, when they do a story about the most hollow people in thr RGV.
So the Sheriff Department never stopped looking for Amit in the 8 years he has been evading his sentence???? Where did they look? Under the Sheriff's desk where everyone knows he hides??? Ask the Sheriff why he shook that murderer's hand welcoming him to his jail on live tv.
It is funny watching Garza trying to sneak in at every photo op he can. That guy wants the old man's job so bad he can taste it. Old man needs to keep an eye on him.
The D.A. Went up thr jolly bird for the joy ride and too for the free publicity
What a hippo luis, you never have change still the same like the first time you were da, same, same ,same, oh no i stand corrected, george gavito mr 100 yr old democrat was not in the picture. Correction. Cca
I will not be voting for either of these clowns, especially when they both have been known to associated with the Rata's of the Hernandez family.
Hey you dumb Naco, the Congo is in India not Africa ; that's where Zamora and Rutila Portillo stayed at their treetop suite rent free.
Taking credit for someone else's work when he couldn't even get Ernie or Erin. If those two ever get on a plane it'll have to be a big jumbo cargo plane. Pigs in every sense of the word.
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