Southern Command Intel Officer Sentenced To Prison
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) — A former intelligence specialist for the Miami-based Southern Command who reportedly threatened and blackmailed a confidential informant has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.
Jose Emmanuel Torres, 37, was sentenced to 41 months after previously pleading guilty to federal bribery and exceeding authorized access to a government computer, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors say Torres was arrested after accepting a duffel bag from a confidential informant he was told contained $250,000 in drug-related money. Torres had been assigned to a Marine Corps intelligence unit that collects information on drug traffickers and alleged terrorists.
Authorities say Torres threatened to have the informant arrested for immigration violations if he did not pay Torres thousands of dollars. The informant contacted the FBI, which recorded conversations and intercepted electronic messages and later set up the purported money exchange.
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