U.S. Marine jailed in Mexico since March after making wrong turn

[Lion Heart 15,041]

So this has been on the radar for a while, but I haven't seen any threads so I will start to follow this case and keep this updated. Backstory:

 

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, a US marine and Afghanistan war veteran, has been held in a Mexican prison for more than a month. He said he accidentally crossed the border on March 31 with three personal firearms. Mexican authorities jailed him on weapons charges. The case has drawn attention from lawmakers in the US, as Tahmooressi’s fate hangs in the balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi is a 25-year-old US Marine reservist. He served four years in the Marines and did two tours in Afghanistan before finishing active duty in 2012. He said he was honorably discharged in November 2012, according to the Associated Press. His mother, Jill Tahmooressi, who is from Weston, Fla., said he had recently moved to San Diego to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

 

 

 

Why is he in prison?

 

Tahmooressi is being held at La Mesa State Penitentiary in Tijuana, Mexico for allegedly trying to bring weapons over the US-Mexico border. He faces federal weapons charges, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune: The charges include possession of two firearms meant for exclusive use of the Mexican military; bail is not permitted. If convicted, he faces six to 21 years in a Mexican prison, said his Tijuana attorneys.

 

Tahmooressi had three weapons, all registered in the US, including a .45 caliber pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, and an AR-15 rifle. Tahmooressi attempted to escape after he was taken into custody, the AP reported: After he was jailed, Tahmooressi tried to escape by climbing over a gate and heading up onto a roof, and then onto another one. He gave up when a guard opened fire, but the incident earned him the nickname "Spider-Man." He later grabbed a light bulb and stabbed himself in the neck. He was taken to the hospital and given stitches.

 

 

Why was he going to Mexico?

 

Tahmooressi said he was on his way to meet friends for dinner in San Ysidro on March 31 when he accidently ended up at a border crossing point. He had been in San Diego for two weeks after leaving Dayton Beach, Fla. and driving across the country with everything he owned, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported: "I was going to call them after I drove off the exit, but I never got off the exit, I blew right past it," he said. "I wasn't paying attention, thinking I had way farther to go. I ended up in Mexico with no way to turn around." Tahmooressi said he never intended to leave the country and mistakenly ended up at the border crossing point. San Ysidro is a border town in San Diego County that is a few miles north of Mexico.

 

At Tijuana's El Chaparral Port of Entry, he tried to stop at the automatic crossing gates, but was waved through, and then guided to an inspection area. "They say, 'What have you got back there?' I said, 'A whole lot of stuff and three guns.' I said, 'I didn't even mean to be in Mexico.'"

Mexican authorities found the three guns and Tahmooressi was jailed.

 

 

Has something like this happened before?

 

Yes, there have been several cases of people jailed after accidentally crossing into Mexico. Tahmooressi’s case is not an isolated instance of this, CNN reports: It is difficult for the U.S. State Department to quantify how many arrests are due to accidental crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, a spokeswoman told CNN, but Andrew Tahmooressi's case is not all that unique. In 2008, an active-duty Army soldier was jailed in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, for driving into Mexico with guns, knives and ammunition. Former Army Spc. Richard R. Medina Torres also said he was lost and missed the last U.S. exit. He spent a little over a month in jail before being released.

 

In 1999, a Camp Pendleton Marine was detained for two weeks in Tijuana after driving into the country with firearms. The Marine claimed he did so by mistake, and a federal judge ordered his release after the Mexican Attorney General asked that all charges be dropped.

According to a State Department warning, dozens of US citizens are arrested each month for “unintentionally violating Mexico’s strict weapons laws.†The warning also said, “claiming not to know about the law will not get you leniency from a police officer or the judicial system.â€

Lawyers for Tahmooressi told The San Diego Union-Tribune that Mexico’s federal code allows for the absence of intent to be used as an exception to the penalty, and Tahmooressi did not intend to possess weapons there.

 

Is the US government doing anything to help?

 

Several US lawmakers have petitioned for Tahmooressi’s release. US Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican and Marine veteran, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry on May 2 asking for assistance in the case.

 

According to NBC San Diego, Hunter wrote in his letter that “Andrew is neither a criminal nor a weapons trafficker, and his incarceration is an extraordinarily unfortunate occurrence.â€

 

The State Department has said it is aware of a US citizen being arrested in Mexico, but do not comment on such cases involving private individuals without their permission, the AP reports.

According to CNN, Hunter also wrote a bipartisan congressional letter to Mexico’s attorney general on May 8:

"Mexico's Attorney General is in a position to deal with Andrew's case and ensure its quick resolution ... it is necessary that the AG intervene and expedite proceedings at the very least. And so far there's been no validation from Mexico that Andrew didn't make a directional mistake at the border."
Since his arrest, Tahmooressi’s parents and supporters have worked to bring attention to the case, even protesting outside the Mexican Consulate in Miami. There is also a Facebook page and WhiteHouse.gov petition.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/latin-america/2014/05/14/marine-held-mexico-prison-for-guns-the-case-sgt-andrew-tahmooressi/D66Vr4WvnYhESsYGMVcw1K/story.html

[Luc 4,776]

Well, it's law after all  

[DrewStevens 5,249]

Accidentally crossed the border?

[Michael 533]

:roll:

[Hauser 1,262]

inb4 the mess 

[Economy 53,090]

Accidentally crossed the border?

if u miss an exit keep going and not realizing the road ur going into and cant make a U turn in the spot who knows

[DrewStevens 5,249]

if u miss an exit keep going and not realizing the road ur going into and cant make a U turn in the spot who knows

It is possible but is not really an accident and is still a crime.

[Qualle1 1,385]

I don't see any kind of injustice here by the Mexican side.

In fact, I don't believe him.

The weapons and the attempt to escape...

Sorry, but I think he deserves to get a punishment!

[RAMROD 118,011]

Some of those spoilers cannot be open for me.

[Qualle1 1,385]

Some of those spoilers cannot be open for me.

Worx fine for me! ;)

[Lion Heart 15,041]

Some of those spoilers cannot be open for me.

Sorry about that, I have removed them

[NathanC 938]

He made the wrong turn? I guess he had money for 3 guns but not an iPhone for navigation...

You carry 3 guns, u obey that state or countries' law... Seems reasonable...

[RAMROD 118,011]

Sorry about that, I have removed them

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Worx fine for me! ;)

U teaseful U

He made the wrong turn? I guess he had money for 3 guns but not an iPhone for navigation...

You carry 3 guns, u obey that state or countries' law... Seems reasonable...

I agree, if things happen the other way around, I swear we would not be so kind. Especially taking the guns with them.

We would quickly accuse them as d--g smugglers for all I care tbh.

[Lion Heart 15,041]

An update

 

Two Republican lawmakers visited a Marine sergeant held in a Mexican jail Saturday, with one of them saying that the serviceman "needs to come home."

 

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., visited Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi at the El Hongo II prison in Tecate, Mexico. Tahmooressi has been held there since March on gun charges after he accidentally crossed over the Mexican border with three legally purchased guns in his pickup truck. Tahmooressi, who suffers from PTSD, served two tours in Afghanistan.

 

"I found him to be in good spirits, but this visit confirmed my belief that Sgt. Tahmooressi ... needs to come home," Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "While I remain respectful of Mexico's laws, today after I thanked him for his dedicated service, I assured Sgt. Tahmooressi that I will continue working to secure his release so that he can begin needed treatment for his PTSD."

 

Later Saturday, a picture of the two congressmen with Tahmooressi was posted on the Twitter page of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Tahmooressi has alleged that he has been mistreated at the hands of his Mexican captors, accusing his guards of stripping him naked and tying him to a bed, as well as tightening his cuffs until his ankles bled after an escape attempt.

On Wednesday, Tahmooressi's mother, Jill, said that she had hired Mexican defense attorney Fernando Benitez Alvarez del Castillo. Castillo is the 25-year-old Tahmooressi's third defense attorney in as many weeks.

"I remain confident that his situation is improving and will end with his release in the near future," a statement from Salmon read. "His spirits remain upbeat and he has full confidence in his new attorney."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/22/lawmakers-visit-marine-held-in-mexico-say-sergeant-needs-to-come/

 

The attorney for a Marine sergeant held in a Mexican prison since March on gun charges has asked the serviceman's supporters for patience, saying that the case is a long way from being resolved.

 

"I would ask people to be patient. There's going to be an outcome," Fernando Benitez told KSWB Monday. "I hope it's an outcome everybody likes, but it's not going to be tomorrow."

Sgt. Andrew Tahmooresi has been held by Mexican authorities since March 31, when he accidentally drove across the U.S.-Mexico border with three legally purchased guns and 400 rounds of ammunition. Tahmooressi, who served two tours in Afghanistan and suffers from PTSD, has claimed to have suffered physical abuse at the hands of jail guards who allegedly stripped him naked and chained him to a bed.

 

Benitez was hired last week by Tahmooressi's mother, Jill. He is the third defense lawyer to take the Marine's case. The first one was fired on the eve of a May 28 court hearing for allegedly instructing Tahmooressi to tell the judge he had never been to Mexico before, which was not true. The second attorney was dismissed for lack of experience and "not inspiring confidence," according to Jill Tahmooressi.

Benitez told KSWB that he planned to petition the federal court in Tijuana for a new hearing for Tahmooressi. The court is expected to issue a new hearing date by the end of this week.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/24/new-attorney-for-marine-held-in-mexico-says-case-resolution-not-going-to-be/

[Lion Heart 15,041]

Tahmooressi's mother makes Fourth of July appeal to US ambassador to Mexico

  

 

On the eve of Independence Day, the mother of a Marine jailed in Mexico for three months appealed to America's top diplomat south of the border, asking for help winning the freedom of her 25-year-old son, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi.

Jill Tahmooressi, of Weston, Fla., sent a letter June 30  to E. Anthony Wayne, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, requesting his help in getting a Mexican federal judge to give an expedited review to her son's case, after his representation had been botched by two previous attorneys who failed to submit any evidence for the court to review.

"If any consideration can be made to expedite the reviews before the federal judge so that he will be closer to probable freedom, those actions would be much appreciated," Jill Tahmooressi wrote Wayne.

Her son has been held in Mexico since March 31, when he was arrested after accidentally crossing into Mexico with three legally-purchased guns in his pickup truck. Fox News has highlighted how poor signage, as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Tahmooressi got from serving two tours in Afghanistan, could have contributed to his mistake.

Tahmooressi hopes to have her son's case fast-tracked, but according to attorney Fernando Benitez, the Mexican judicial system will have to run its course, regardless of efforts made by the Marine's supporters.

But given a recent incident along the U.S.-Arizona border where a Mexican military helicopter allegedly fired upon U.S. Border Patrol agent mistaking them for d--g smugglers, mistakes and apologies take on a different meaning.

Tahmooiressi was in San Diego receiving treatment for PTSD when he drove into Mexico. His apologies and explanation for the wrong turn into Mexico fell on deaf ears, resulting in his imprisonment.

FoxNews.com attempted to contact Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. A spokesman said he had received the media request and would provide a statement, but has not.In her letter to Wayne, the worried mother appealed to sentiment of the Fourth of July.

"This Independence Day will be a bitter one for Andrew, his family and supporters as his freedom is bound by his felony arrest," Tahmooressi wrote.  "Freedom he valiantly fought for others to have, willing to die to combat the evil of oppression and violence, Andrew is experiencing captivity for the first time, in a foreign country as a result of one wrong turn."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/02/tahmooressi-mother-makes-fourth-july-appeal-to-us-ambassador-to-mexico/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fnational+%28Internal+-+US+Latest+-+Text%29