A former border patrol agent who was stationed in northern Minnesota is accused of telling a made-up story to the FBI apparently because he wanted to be transferred to the southern border.
An indictment unsealed Thursday alleges Andrew Rodriguez told FBI agents on Nov. 7 that two men stopped him on U.S. Highway 71 and that one of the men threatened to hurt his family unless he followed certain instructions, the U.S. attorney's office said in a news release
Rodriguez, of East Grand Forks, reportedly told the FBI he had recently seen the same vehicle by his home a few times. Rodriguez eventually admitted to concocting the story, according to the release.
Rodriguez, 29, is charged with making false statements to authorities. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of five years.
His case very likely stems from an incident the Beltrami County Sheriff's Department made public not long after Rodriguez allegedly lied to the FBI.
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On Nov. 12, the Herald printed an Associated Press article which reported that the sheriff's department said a border patrol agent made a distress call about 8:30 p.m. Nov. 7 near Funkley, Minn., a town along U.S. Highway 71 on the eastern edge of Beltrami County.
The agent, who was not named, reported that two people in an SUV had forced him into a ditch. The agent also said he was injured, and the pair in the SUV had left the scene.
The sheriff's department said the agent was located but did not need medical attention. The FBI concluded the incident was unfounded, the sheriff's department reported.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Department is one of the agencies that investigated Rodriguez's case, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
However, the office's spokeswoman, Jeanne Cooney, said she could not confirm that Rodriguez's case and the report from the sheriff's department are linked. The FBI would not comment on the case, and a message left at the sheriff's department was not returned Thursday.
Rodriguez does not have a listed phone number. It was not clear if he has an attorney.
Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
