On Watch: Episode 13 – The Strange Case of Jesus ‘Eddie’ Campa (Continued)
Dear Editor/Broadcaster,
Below, you will find the video/transcript for On Watch: Episode 13 – The Strange Case of Jesus ‘Eddie’ Campa (Continued)
This week, we’ve got a public corruption story that shows how Judicial Watch’s unique brand of investigative journalism uncovers corruption and reports stories that you won’t see or hear elsewhere.
It’s also a case of, “I told you so.”
Back in 2014, federal, state and municipal law enforcement sources told Judicial Watch that Chief Deputy Jesus “Eddie” Campa of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPCSO), was allegedly indicted for embezzling millions of dollars in Homeland Security funds.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is a Texas law enforcement agency responsible for patrolling more than 1,000 square miles with a population of about 700,000 – and sits directly across the border from Ciudad Juarez, historically one of the most violent cities in the Western Hemisphere.
There appears to be no public record of Campa’s indictment, and a spokesman, Daryl Fields, at the United States Attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas told Judicial Watch back in 2014 that he “can neither confirm nor deny” that Campa was indicted.
Multiple messages to the spokesman at the FBI El Paso office, S/A Michael Martinez, where Judicial Watch’s sources say Campa and a conspirator were detained, went unanswered.
One might think Campa would be in serious legal trouble given the 2014 allegations.
No – it appears the Feds “flipped” Campa allowing him to re-invent himself and continue in law enforcement – purportedly under the direction and control of the FBI.
After an unusually short stint as police chief for the Ector County Independent School District in Odessa – a little more than a month – Campa was sworn in as police chief of Marshall in August 2014.
I communicated with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement as well as a very senior leader in the Texas Department of Public Safety – reporting the facts and circumstances, the publicly available documentation and our independent reporting concerning Campa. Nothing came of either report.
That’s not too surprising, if Campa was, in fact under, FBI direction and control.
The problems, of course, are Campa’s conspicuous conduct and the media surrounding the quick back-to-back assignments. Not terribly discrete and certainly very poor operations security for doubling someone against organized crime and the cartels.
Shortly after assuming his post in Marshall, back in 2014, Campa told Judicial Watch that none of the allegations were true and he doesn’t know where they came from. His quote – that he repeated several times was: “It’s all kind of crazy.”
This week Campa resigned as chief of the Marshall Police Department, according to a local newspaper story that quotes him saying “I have made the decision to step aside to pursue other opportunities that have developed.”
The article says Campa wouldn’t elaborate on exactly what the opportunities might be.
It also reveals that Campa is under investigation by the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) for inappropriately placing GPS beacons on officers’ vehicles and publicly discussing personnel issues of officers.
Why would a police chief place GPS beacons on officers’ patrol vehicles? The officers’ radios and computers report their location to police headquarters already.
A GPS beacon would only be useful to a third party. Think about it. Campa purportedly did the same thing back in El Paso.
I encourage you to learn about the strange case of Eddie Campa on our website, Judicial Watch – under the section marked “Corruption Chronicles.”
I’m Chris Farrell . . . On Watch.
The official On Watch Twitter page can be found here.
Chris Farrell is Judicial Watch’s Director of Investigations. His network of inside sources and informants spans the globe. You can read his bio here.
For more information, or to set up and interview with Chris, please contact Jill Farrell at 202-646-5172, or at [email protected].
Carter Clews
Director of Communications
TOP NEWS
