Boyles read from Colorado Media Matters item on Voorhis case, repeated falsehoods, and allowed guest to make unsubstantiated claim

Summary: On his January 15 broadcast, after reading selectively from passages of a Colorado Media Matters item that quoted his January 11 program regarding the case of federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis, 630 KHOW-AM's Peter Boyles rehashed some of the same claims that Colorado Media Matters had refuted just days earlier. Additionally, he allowed his guest, retired immigration agent Mike Riebau, to make an unproven assertion related to the case.

Selectively reading aloud passages from a Colorado Media Matters item that quoted his January 11 broadcast, 630 KHOW-AM's Peter Boyles on January 15 insisted, "There's nothing false" about claims he made during the earlier broadcast related to the case of Cory Voorhis, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Voorhis has been charged with misusing his access to a criminal database to get information later used by 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez's campaign in an ad against his opponent, current Gov. Bill Ritter. Despite evidence to the contrary, Boyles on January 15 repeated the myth that Denver is a so-called "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants and asserted that an illegal immigrant featured in one of Beauprez's ads, Walter Ramo, was a "heroin dealer." As Colorado Media Matters noted in the item from which Boyles read, the Denver district attorney's office stated that prosecutors could not establish that Ramo was a "heroin dealer."

Boyles also allowed his guest, Mike Riebau, a retired ICE senior special agent listed as "consultant" to a legal defense fund established for Voorhis, to claim that Ramo, who was arrested in Denver on heroin-related charges in 2001 and offered a plea bargain to the Class 5 felony of agricultural trespass by Ritter's Denver district attorney's office, "was previously convicted of heroin distribution in Portland, Oregon, prior to coming [to Denver]." Boyles did not ask for details of the alleged conviction or any other substantiation for the assertion, and Riebau offered none.

During his January 15 program, Boyles referenced a phone conversation he had with Colorado Media Matters Editorial Director Bill Menezes regarding the item posted on January 11:

BOYLES: What is important -- and, you know, just put cards on the table, there is a website -- the Media Matters -- that has been -- and, you know, I'm really glad they're there. God bless 'em. I've actually gotten to known this guy that runs it. But I, he and I had a pretty interesting conversation. Somebody emailed me when I got home last night. Turned on my home email and they said, "Oh, you know, Media Matters is writing about you and Cory Voorhis." I said, "Pardon me?" And I called up the guy who runs it, and we had a conversation. You know what, they're telling me in this piece from Media Matters that -- I don't know, I've read it like four or five times, I've let other people read it.

Let me tell you about who Walter Ramo is. And this was the discussion. Walter Ramo -- a.k.a. you pick the name -- and this is the guy that's much in the eye of the storm. The Media Matters people have a contention that, oh, he wasn't a heroin dealer. [Reading] "Repeating Voorhis case, Boyles repeats falsehoods. Discussing the case of federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis, 630 KHOW's Boyles claim on January 11 has made various false and misleading claims. Boyles repeated the myth that Denver provides 'sanctuary' to illegals."

Well, I'm, that's not a leading "myth."

Contrary to Boyles' claim, Colorado Media Matters has noted repeatedly that Denver is not a sanctuary city, according to sources including ICE and the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Continuing to read aloud from the January 11 item, Boyles omitted Colorado Media Matters' refutation of his claim -- which he repeated on his January 15 broadcast -- that agricultural trespass plea bargains offered by Ritter's office when he was Denver district attorney resulted in "literally hundred[s] of illegals [who] had been released, avoided punishment, deportation."

[Reading] "On January the 11th, 630 KHOW broadcast, Boyles revisited several dubious and false claims regarding immigration ICE enforcement agent Cory Voorhis, who's charged with misusing his access to criminal database information," yada de-yada de-yada ya. "Boyles again made the debunked claim that agricultural trespass plea bargains offered by Ritter's office when he was in De-- when he was the Denver district attorney resulted in 'literally hundreds of illegals [who] would be released, avoided punishment and deportation.' "

Well, of course that's true.

But the next paragraph of the January 11 item, which Boyles omitted when he read from it on January 15, read:

In fact, as Colorado Media Matters repeatedly has noted, while the "agricultural trespass" plea deals Ritter's office approved might have helped legal immigrants avoid deportation, illegal immigrants are subject to deportation by federal officials regardless of any state or local pleas to which they agree, according to U.S. law. [emphasis added]

During his January 15 program, Boyles later glossed over the same section of the item by stating, " 'In fact, Colorado Media Matters repeatedly has noted that agricultural trespass plea bargains in Ritter's office might have helped legal immigrants avoid deportation. Illegals are subject to deportation' by feds, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

Additionally, Boyles continued to mischaracterize Ramo's case, reading from the January 11 item that stated the Denver district attorney's office could not establish that the man was a "heroin dealer" and then replying, "Because they gave him ag trespass." However, as Colorado Media Matters has pointed out, the DA's office has indicated Ramo was charged with agricultural trespass only after "evidence problems" cast doubt on the case against him.

According to the written version of an October 11, 2006, KUSA 9News "Truth Test" analysis of the ad featuring Ramo, "Denver District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough said the only witness to Ramo's alleged heroin dealing was the driver of the car he was arrested with. Ramo had no drugs in his possession when he was arrested and the heroin was found in the floorboard of the driver's car. Criminal background checks on the driver revealed a prior felony conviction for drug dealing."

Similarly, the written version of KCNC CBS4's "Reality Check" from October 12, 2006, reported that "Kimbrough said the case [against Ramo] had evidence problems." CBS4 further reported:

What kind of problems? Before police arrested Ramo in 2001, he was spotted getting out of a car. Police arrested the driver of that car, and found him with drugs. The driver said he bought the drugs from Ramo. When police caught up with Ramo, they found he had no drugs, and no criminal record in Colorado. But the driver who told police about Ramo did have a criminal record. So prosecutors found themselves wondering who to believe.

While recounting Ramo's case during the January 15 broadcast, Boyles continued to insist that the man was "a heroin dealer," but omitted the widespread reports that no heroin was found on Ramo and that the man who accused Ramo of dealing heroin had previously been convicted for distribution of drugs:

BOYLES: Here is what happened. I want you to tell me if this is a heroin dealer. The guy's name is -- well, you pick it -- Walter Ramo, Estrada Medina, like, the guy's a, he's a Honduran. He's not a Mexican; he's a Honduran. The night that it goes down, a jeep -- they're staking this out -- it's, they're Honduran heroin dealers. I've read the reports; I've talked to one of the street cops. [Unintelligible] on a stakeout, and up pulls a jeep. And there's a gringo in it. There's an American in it, U.S. citizen in it. Ramo gets in the jeep. They talk. [Unintelligible] a stakeout. They're watchin' this. The guy gets out of the jeep. Ramo. The heroin, the guy in the jeep drives about four blocks. They pop him. He has heroin in his pocket. Brown tar. Mexican -- black tar, Mexican heroin. "Where'd you get it?" "I got it from that guy right back there." They go back, he points him out: "That's the guy I bought the heroin from." Now, is that guy a heroin dealer?

Boyles later added:

Well, I gotta tell you somethin', folks: They didn't pick him up for jaywalking, they didn't pick him up for car theft, they didn't pick him up for chewing bubble gum, they didn't pick him up for curfew, they didn't pick him, they picked him up -- the guy he sold heroin to rolls on him, flips. There's a Honduran street gang of heroin dealers. I spoke with the cops. You can read the report. I'm surprised this is being put out in Media Matters that I'm putting out falsehoods. Now, let me ask you straight up: Do you think the guy's a heroin dealer? Do you think he is a heroin dealer? If I say he got 'caught dirty,' is he 'caught dirty'?

Still later in the broadcast, Riebau claimed to have "direct knowledge" that Ramo "was previously convicted of heroin distribution in Portland, Oregon." But Riebau provided no source or evidence for his claim.

RIEBAU: -- regarding Walter Ramo, I have some direct knowledge of her -- Honduran heroin spitters downtown here.

BOYLES: Well --

RIEBAU: And let me share with you, if I may: I spent at least four of my years while I was working for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force out of the U.S. Attorney's office working a case called the Operation Crofton Project. That's a school downtown. And it was a huge organizational case of Honduran heroin dealers. And I have direct knowledge -- and let me set the record straight -- I did check into Walter Ramo, and I did find that when Media Matters says, "Well, is he or is he not a heroin dealer or drug trafficker?" let me share with you and your listeners, Peter, this man was previously convicted of heroin distribution in Portland, Oregon, prior to coming here.

From the January 15 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Peter Boyles Show:

BOYLES: Yesterday I spent part of the morning in court for, watching the case of ICE agent Cory Voorhis. I gotta tell ya. We got a lot to cover. Many, many things to do. We have people who are on the phones already who were in the courtroom yesterday. And we'll get everyone's take on this. 303-713-8255 is our phone number. What is important -- and, you know, just put cards on the table, there is a website -- the Media Matters -- that has been -- and, you know, I'm really glad they're there. God bless 'em. I've actually gotten to known this guy that runs it. But I, he and I had a pretty interesting conversation. Somebody emailed me when I got home last night. Turned on my home email and they said, "Oh, you know, Media Matters is writing about you and Cory Voorhis." I said, "Pardon me?" And I called up the guy who runs it, and we had a conversation. You know what, they're telling me in this piece from Media Matters that -- I don't know, I've read it like four or five times, I've let other people read it.

Let me tell you about who Walter Ramo is. And this was the discussion. Walter Ramo -- a.k.a. you pick the name -- and this is the guy that's much in the eye of the storm. The Media Matters people have a contention that, oh, he wasn't a heroin dealer. [Reading] "Repeating Voorhis case, Boyles repeats falsehoods. Discussing the case of federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis, 630 KHOW's Boyles claim on January 11 has made various false and misleading claims. Boyles repeated the myth that Denver provides sanctuary to illegals."

Well, I'm, that's not a leading "myth." But [unintelligible] really want to do with that.

[Reading] "Asserted the ag trespass plea bargains offered by then-DA Bill Ritter resulted in literally hundreds of illegals [who] had been released; stated one of the immigrants who received a plea deal was 'a heroin dealer.' But widespread reporting contradicts Boyles' claim."

I claim he's a heroin dealer.

[Reading] "On January the 11th, 630 KHOW broadcast, Boyles revisited several dubious and false claims regarding immigration ICE enforcement agent Cory Voorhis, who's charged with misusing his access to criminal database information," yada de-yada de-yada ya. "Boyles again made the debunked claim that agricultural trespass plea bargains offered by Ritter's office when he was in De-- when he was the Denver district attorney resulted in 'literally hundreds of illegals [who] would be released, avoided punishment and deportation.' "

Well, of course that's true.

[Reading] "But on January the 11th a broadcast Boyles' show, Boyles: We would have not spoken about the Voorhis story for weeks" -- which we hadn't. "This story is pretty easily done. In September '06 Voorhis is leading, is reading the newspaper comments of then to-be citizen Bill Ritter," yada de-yada da. "Voorhis knew from personal experience that the Denver police and the courts," about this coming back to Ritter's cases. And then, in black print, writes, "literally hundreds of illegals have been released, avoided punishment, deportation, risky, and these plea bargain agreements, ag trespass. And these are consistent, by the way, looking at the big picture, of sanctuary status inaugurated by Mayor Webb and, of course, continued by Looper [Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper]. In fact, Colorado Media Matters repeatedly has noted that agricultural trespass plea bargains in Ritter's office might have helped legal immigrants avoid deportation. Illegals are subject to deportation" by feds, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. "Boyles also repeated the claim that one of the illegal immigrants offered the plea bargain by Ritter's office was a heroin dealer who got 'caught dirty.'

"Now, the one story that fired on everyone's rockets, story Walter Ramo. Now, Walter Ramo under different names is a heroin dealer, for God's sake, and he gets caught dirty. " They're obviously quoting me. [Reading] "He ends with agricultural trespass only to book town, ends up in California where he rapes, child molests a little girl who is also an illegal. And he and the little girl's parents, and they're illegal, everybody hits the bricks. So Voorhis tells 'Both Ways Bob' Beauprez's campaign manager John Marshall all these things. As Colorado Media Matters has noted (here, here, and here), the district attorney's office stated the prosecution cannot establish Ramo was a 'heroin dealer.' "

Because they gave him ag trespass. Now I, so I have a big conversation with [Colorado Media Matters Editorial Director] Bill [Menezes] last night. I have read this; I know it. Here is what happened. I want you to tell me if this is a heroin dealer. The guy's name is -- well, you pick it -- Walter Ramo, Estrada Medina, like, the guy's a, he's a Honduran. He's not a Mexican; he's a Honduran. The night that it goes down, a jeep -- they're staking this out -- it's, they're Honduran heroin dealers. I've read the reports; I've talked to one of the street cops. [Unintelligible] on a stakeout, and up pulls a jeep. And there's a gringo in it. There's an American in it, U.S. citizen in it. Ramo gets in the jeep. They talk. [Unintelligible] a stakeout. They're watchin' this. The guy gets out of the jeep. Ramo. The heroin, the guy in the jeep drives about four blocks. They pop him. He has heroin in his pocket. Brown tar. Mexican -- black tar, Mexican heroin. "Where'd you get it?" "I got it from that guy right back there." They go back, he points him out: "That's the guy I bought the heroin from." Now, is that guy a heroin dealer?

According to my friend last night in a conversation, he's not a heroin dealer. I said, "Are you kidding me? He's not a heroin dealer?" "No, he's not a heroin dealer, 'cause he wasn't convicted of it." "Oh," I say, "he's not a heroin dealer. So when he does take his ag trespass and goes on to California and molests that child, because the family fled, was he a child molester?" Big pause. We'll invite Bill on the show this morning. But I'm asking you straight up, because this is what's put out on their website: that Media Matters has pointed out that this guy is not a heroin dealer. Well, I gotta tell you somethin', folks: They didn't pick him up for jaywalking, they didn't pick him up for car theft, they didn't pick him up for chewing bubble gum, they didn't pick him up for curfew, they didn't pick him, they picked him up -- the guy he sold heroin to rolls on him, flips. There's a Honduran street gang of heroin dealers. I spoke with the cops. You can read the report. I'm surprised this is being put out in Media Matters that I'm putting out falsehoods. Now, let me ask you straight up: Do you think the guy's a heroin dealer? Do you think he is a heroin dealer? If I say he got 'caught dirty,' is he 'caught dirty'? That's number one.

[...]

BOYLES: And these guys write this morning that the guy was not a heroin dealer. Well, I gotta tell you somethin', who was he, then? Did they pick him up for jaywalking?

CALLER: That takes some mental gymnastics --

BOYLES: No, seriously.

CALLER: -- to support that --

BOYLES: I mean, with all respect in the world for this website and what they do, was the guy -- I mean, this is the kind of stuff that is maddening. I mean, it's maddening personally to me because it said that I say the guy was a heroin dealer, and he wasn't. Well then, what was he? He wasn't a mechanic. He wasn't sellin' hubcaps. He wasn't puttin' tires on cars. He wasn't sellin' chewing gum. He wasn't jaywalking. He wasn't sneakin' in a window. Why did the cops go back and take him off the street?

CALLER: Well, it has --

BOYLES: For heroin.

CALLER: -- to be because he's a heroin dealer.

BOYLES: He's a heroin dealer. [Caller laughs] "Oh, no he's not, Peter."

CALLER: Wasn't convicted.

BOYLES: Well, I said this, I said, "You know what, neither was O.J., neither was Patsy Ramsey."

CALLER: That's right.

BOYLES: But then he goes on to California, and in this conversation we -- I'll invite Bill on the show this morning, if he wants to come on and have this discussion. He goes on to California, and -- and by the way, when you read Walter Ramo -- this is in the rap -- illegal immigrant from Honduras. This is who we're talking about. Initially charged with felony crime of sales and possession of heroin. He made the deal to trespassing on farmland and got probation. This is the guy we're talking about here. [Caller laughs] And went on to California and molested that little girl. Now --

CALLER: Well --

BOYLES: -- if I'm this website, you know what I'm mad about? I'm mad about this guy's still in the United States somewhere, and he molests children.

CALLER: Yeah, no. No kiddin'. But, oh no, that's not their charter, see?

BOYLES: Well, I don't know. But we had a conversation last night, and I'll invite them on the show today and say, "Tell me about this," because the guy's a heroin dealer. And to try and put it up on the website that he was some kind of innocent you-know-what, it's not true. He's a heroin dealer.

CALLER: Yeah.

[...]

BOYLES: Ladies and gentlemen, please say good morning. He is quoted again in the Rocky Mountain News this morning. Himself a retired ICE agent. Mike Riebau joins us. And, first of all, Michael, thank you for everything you've done, and welcome back to the show again this morning.

RIEBAU: Good morning, Peter, and thank you.

BOYLES: I want to go over a couple of things. And we're going to invite the head of Media Matters on the show this morning. But Media Matters' website has put out a -- and, like I said, they put out lots of stuff, and that's their right, and God bless them. I welcome them here. But they -- I, when I got home last night and actually called the head of Media Matters. We have phone conversations now. And their headline: "Revisiting Voorhis case, Boyles repeats falsehoods."

RIEBAU: Hmm.

BOYLES: And, "Summary: Discussing the case of federal immigration agent Cory Voorhis, 630 KHOW's Peter Boyles on his January 11th broadcast again made various false and misleading claims. ... repeating the myth that Denver provides 'sanctuary' to illegals, asserting agricultural trespass plea bargains offered by then-DA Bill Ritter resulted in 'literally hundreds of illegals who had been released,' and stated one immigrant who received a plea bargain was 'a heroin dealer.' But widespread reporting contradicts Boyles' claims." First of all, only because what did somebody write, the guy who throws like a boy, or, excuse me, the guy who throws like a girl says it isn't a sanctuary city. In the minds of the people in your business, do you think Denver's a sanctuary city?

RIEBAU: Well, I have direct knowledge that it actually is. And, matter of fact --

BOYLES: Of course it is.

RIEBAU: -- regarding Walter Ramo, I have some direct knowledge of her -- Honduran heroin spitters downtown here.

BOYLES: Well --

RIEBAU: And let me share with you, if I may: I spent at least four of my years while I was working for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force out of the U.S. Attorney's office working a case called the Operation Crofton Project. That's a school downtown. And it was a huge organizational case of Honduran heroin dealers. And I have direct knowledge -- and let me set the record straight -- I did check into Walter Ramo, and I did find that when Media Matters says, "Well, is he or is he not a heroin dealer or drug trafficker?" let me share with you and your listeners, Peter, this man was previously convicted of heroin distribution in Portland, Oregon, prior to coming here.

BOYLES: Yes, I know, but, last night they were saying, "Well, he wasn't convicted." And I said, "Well, he was." Here's how he got caught. Walter Ramo -- a.k.a. whatever the hell his name is -- a Honduran illegal -- and my understanding -- and you jump into this, Mike, and straighten it out if it's wrong -- the Denver police -- this isn't an ICE job -- the Denver cops are staking out these Honduran heroin dealers. Correct?

RIEBAU: Mmm-hmm.

[...]

BOYLES: But we've invited them on the show, and they say they don't want to do it by phone. OK, fine. But he's a heroin dealer. And don't try and parse it that he's not. "Revisiting Voorhis case," says the headline, "Boyles repeated falsehoods." There's nothing false about it. Saying I said he got caught dirty. Damn right he got caught dirty. Damn right it's a sanctuary city. The only reason -- what was the great line somebody put in the [Glendale Cherry Creek] Chronicle -- these people believe it's not sanctuary because the little guy that throws like a girl says it isn't? It's a sanctuary city.

—C.H.