Accused of lying about ties to suspected drug trafficker.

 

Hardrick Crawford Jr., special agent in charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's El Paso office until he retired abruptly in November 2003, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements about his relationship with a Juarez racetrack owner, the El Paso Times reported today on its Web site.

Crawford, 42, was charged with five counts of making false statements or concealing material facts about his association with Jose Maria Guardia, owner of the Juarez Racetrack and Gaming Center and a suspected drug trafficker, the Times reported.

Guardia, who according to court documents, worked as an FBI informant for about six months in 2002, allegedly gave Crawford trips to Las Vegas, Nev., and Mexico City, provided weekly lawn service and hired Crawford's wife as a $5,000-a-month consultant at his racetrack, the Times reported.

The grand jury charges also allege that Crawford socialized with Guardia despite warnings from FBI agents in Mexico that Guardia was involved in drug trafficking and money laundering, according to the Times report.

Each count is a felony and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas told the Times.

Crawford headed the El Paso FBI office from July 2001 to Nov. 7, 2003, when he abruptly announced his retirement after the Mexican Foreign Ministry had accused Crawford of meddling in Mexico's internal affairs, the Times reported.

Crawford, who has been working as homeland security director for METI, a government technology contractor in El Paso, could not be reached for comment, the Times said.

But his attorney, Mary Stillinger, told the Times that Crawford "looks forward to finally being able to defend himself against these allegations that have been hanging over his head for 2 1/2 years."

The Times reported in November 2003 that the Justice Department had been conducting an ethics investigation of Crawford's relationship with Guardia and Crawford's wife's work as a consultant to Guardia.

Crawford's attorney said at the time that there was nothing improper about Crawford's wife's employment or Crawford's relationship with Guardia, according to the Times.

The Mexican federal attorney general's office said in December 2003 that it had no evidence linking Guardia to money laundering, the Times reported.

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