Ultimately, then, the murders in Juarez should have
been on Sutton’s radar screen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Fielden, as part of her role in
prosecuting the Santillan case, worked closely with
the ICE supervisors and agents who handled the
informant Lalo, and she should have been fully aware
of his active participation in the House of Death
murders, multiple law enforcement sources contend.
In the wake of writing his letter to Sutton exposing the
House of Death scandal, Gonzalez claims DEA brass
retaliated against him by giving him a negative job-performance review and
ordering him to keep his mouth shut about the case and the letter. Gonzalez says
this was all done under pressure from Sutton because the letter put the big-shot
U.S. Attorney in a tough spot.
The letter represents evidence that U.S. government agents and prosecutors
were aware of their informant’s murderous activities in Juárez as early as August
of 2003, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office didn’t want that letter being thrown in their
faces during a trial, law enforcement sources contend.
Gonzalez retired from DEA earlier this year after unsuccessfully trying to get
various government agencies to investigate the alleged cover-up and retaliation.
From a complaint (PDF) written by Gonzalez to the U.S. Office of Special
Counsel in September 2004:
I believe that I’m being punished for speaking the truth about a serious
matter of public concern that is not publicly known. When I made this
known to the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas (by
sending a copy of the letter to his office in San Antonio), rather than take
corrective action, he attacked my professionalism. [And, indirectly
criticized my integrity, ironically for refusing to participate in a cover-up,
which may even constitute the criminal offense of obstruction of justice,
misprision of a felony, or, to a lesser extent, a federal agency’s negligence
resulting in multiple homicides.]
U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton
Photo: DOJ
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