Smuggling rings offer Marines cash to transport illegal immigrants

Smuggling rings are offering Marines based at Camp Pendleton, California, as much as $1,000 to run migrants to San Diego. Service members have been offered between $500 and $1,000 simply to pick up illegal immigrants a few miles north of the U.S-Mexico border and drop them off at areas around the city. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service reports 19 service members, 18 Marines and one Navy corpsman, were arrested this month at Camp Pendleton for their involvement in human and drug smuggling.

"They've advertised on Craigslist before to get people looking for work by saying drivers needed or people with cars and licenses," U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Theron Francisco told the Canadian Press. Smuggling rings have recruited drivers at casinos and bars, passing out cell their phone numbers. Military drivers are particularly coveted, since smugglers see them as less likely to be searched by law enforcement. An extra $1,000 can be an attractive lure for a junior enlisted Marine whose monthly salary ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 a month. Lance Cpl. David Javier Salazar-Quintero and Lance Cpl. Byron Darnell Law II were two of the Marines who accepted the offer. They were caught July 3 by a Border Patrol agent seven miles north of the border with three illegal immigrants in their vehicle. Information gathered from their bust led to the arrest of other service members later in July.

It is unclear if the smuggling rings are affiliated with any Mexican criminal cartels, but human trafficking has become the primary source of income for the organizations, according to Thomas Homan, President Trump's "border czar." “A lot of these transnational criminal organizations, they’re moving aliens right now rather than drugs because, number one, it’s more profitable right now, and, number two, the consequences aren’t nearly as high when you smuggle a person than smuggle a kilo of cocaine. So it’s a business,” Homan said at an immigration conference in June. Troops near other border regions have been caught engaging in similar smuggling activities. In 2018, four soldiers from Fort Hood, located near Killeen, Texas, were convicted of smuggling migrants under military gear, and two soldiers from Fort Bliss, located outside El Paso, pleaded guilty to smuggling two migrants in their vehicle.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/smuggling-rings-offer-marines-cash-to-transport-illegal-immigrants

Navy prosecutors lost their trial against Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, but they got medals anyway

Navy prosecutors were awarded medals for their "superb results" and "expert litigation," despite losing their trial against Special Warfare Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes. The prosecutors were given Navy Achievement Medals during a ceremony at the Navy Region Legal Service Office in San Diego on July 10, according to Task & Purpose. The ceremony took place one week after Gallagher was found not guilty of murder in a trial that made national headlines. The prosecutors were praised for "superior results," despite losing the trial, and for "exceptional witness preparation," despite the fact that one of the prosecution's witnesses surprised the court by admitting that he, not Gallagher, was responsible for the death of an injured ISIS fighter in question.

Lt. Scott McDonald, who took over as lead prosecutor one month before the trial, was praised for his pretrial review of evidence over a two-week period in his citation. Lt. Brian John's citation said he "took the lead in preparing the government's most challenging witnesses." Lt. George Hageman was cited for "exceptional pretrial litigation support."

Gallagher's defense team accused the prosecution of impropriety during the case's proceedings. In May, it was discovered that the prosecution team had installed email tracking software in their correspondence with the defense. In response, Capt. Aaron Rugh, the judge overseeing the case, dismissed lead prosecutor, Cmdr. Chris Czaplak. Established in 1961, the Navy Achievement Medal is awarded for "meritorious service or achievement in either combat or noncombat situations based on sustained performance or superlative nature" that does not qualify for a Commendation Medal, the next highest award, according to the Navy and Marine Corps awards manual.

Gallagher was charged with war crimes after members of his own team alleged that he had stabbed the injured ISIS fighter to death and fired at civilians while on deployment to Iraq in 2017. The case ultimately split the Navy SEAL community and caught the attention of President Trump, who was reportedly considering giving Gallagher a pardon. Gallagher was ultimately found not guilty of all charges, except unlawfully taking a picture with the corpse of the fighter.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/navy-prosecutors-lost-their-trial-against-navy-seal-eddie-gallagher-but-they-got-medals-anyway