Badges - Popular Alaska Cop extradited
- From: Charles Rahn <c.t.rahn@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Badges 1Badge <badges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:21:14 -0400
ANCHORAGE, Alaska ? For years, the man known as Rafael Espinoza was widely
respected as an exemplary police officer who was popular among his peers in
Alaska's largest city.All that ended this week when authorities discovered he
was really Mexican national Rafael Mora-Lopez, who was in the U.S. illegally
and stole another man's identity, officials charged."His reputation here is one
of a hard-working officer, one who was very professional," Anchorage Police
Chief Mark Mew said Friday at a news conference announcing Mora-Lopez's arrest.
"The problem, obviously, is he is not Rafael Espinoza."Soon after the
announcement, Mora-Lopez appeared in U.S. District Court in Anchorage and
pleaded not guilty to a charge of passport fraud, which carries a maximum
10-year sentence. At his arraignment, Mora-Lopez told a federal magistrate he
is 47, even though officials listed his age as 51.His attorney, Alan Dayan,
declined to comment to The Associated Press.Federal agents processing a renewal
request for his passport discovered the alleged fraud. He was arrested Thursday
after authorities searched his home and found documents confirming his true
identity, officials said.Mora-Lopez had been employed as an Anchorage police
officer since 2005 under the assumed name. Police and federal prosecutors said
he doesn't have a criminal record."We have no evidence that this individual had
at the time been anything other than a good police officer," Karen Loeffler,
U.S. Attorney in Alaska said.The real Rafael Espinoza is a U.S. citizen who
lives outside Alaska.Officials said it's too soon to gauge implications of the
case, such as any fallout over Mora-Lopez's court testimony in past criminal
trials. Authorities released limited details, saying the case was still
unfolding.Mew said the department conducted a pre-employment criminal
background check on Mora-Lopez and he also passed a polygraph test. A national
fingerprint check also turned up empty.There are no immediate plans to file
state charges, said John Skidmore, a state attorney. He and other officials
stressed that the case was still under investigation.The arrest was a "bitter
pill to swallow" for many in the police department, Mew said."At this time, we
have no reason to believe, from what we know so far, that this gentleman or
this officer's good work for APD has in any way been compromised or
questioned," Skidmore said.U.S. Magistrate John D. Roberts set bond at $50,000,
and ordered Mora-Lopez to home-confinement and electronic monitoring. His
defense attorney told the magistrate that Mora-Lopez has a wife and child in
Alaska and has close ties to Anchorage, where he has lived since the late
1980s."He's not going anywhere," Dayan said.The wife could not be reached by
phone for comment Friday.The passport fraud case is similar to one involving a
Mexican national who took the identity of a dead cousin who was a U.S. citizen
in order to become a Milwaukee police officer. Oscar Ayala-Cornejo was deported
to Mexico in 2007.
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