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Main Page Illegal Immigrant Breaks Law to Become Milwaukee Officer
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: kwflatbed

By John Diedrich
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Jun. 16 — A man born in Mexico who assumed a dead relative's identity and became a Milwaukee police officer has agreed to plead guilty to a federal felony, according to court documents filed Friday.
Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, 24, will plead guilty to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen, according to an agreement filed Friday.
Because of the plea, Ayala-Cornejo faces six to 12 months' incarceration, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mel Johnson, the prosecutor in the case. The U.S. attorney's office is recommending a sentence on the low side of that range, the document says. Ayala-Cornejo has agreed to leave the United States. He is a Mexican citizen.
Hearings for his plea and sentencing have not been scheduled.
Ayala-Cornejo's attorney, Michael Steinle, said his client agreed to plead guilty to settle the issue quickly.
"He's anxious to put this behind him," Steinle said.
Ayala-Cornejo has been removed from the city payroll, a department spokeswoman said. He was suspended the day he was arrested by federal immigration agents on May 30.
His brother, Alex Ayala, also an officer, has been placed on administrative duty. The Milwaukee district attorney's office continues to investigate possible charges against an unnamed person in connection with the case. Also, there is an internal police investigation into whether others knew about Ayala's true identity and immigration status and didn't report it.
Ayala-Cornejo told investigators that he was born in Mexico on Oct. 10, 1982, according to the plea agreement. Ayala-Cornejo's father procured identification papers of his cousin, Jose Morales, who died earlier, it says.
Ayala-Cornejo admitted he falsely represented himself as Jose Morales to ultimately become a police officer, the agreement says.
Ayala-Cornejo changed his identity in 1999, according to a criminal complaint. He attended Pulaski High School under his real name but in 1999 moved to Hamilton High School as Morales. Three years later he was hired as a Milwaukee police aide and underwent the same background investigation that officers get. He became an officer in December 2004.
Chief Nannette Hegerty said her department "did everything it possibly could" to determine his identity.
Steinle said as a teenager, Ayala-Cornejo went along with a bad decision made by his parents.
"You can't undo a decision, and that's the problem he faced," Steinle said. "After living it, there was no turning back."

Wire Services

Posted by: kwflatbed

By CARRIE ANTLFINGER
Associated Press Writer

MILWAUKEE --
Oscar Ayala-Cornejo followed the path that leads many red-blooded Americans to law enforcement. His family lived next to a crack house in Milwaukee, where he says he often heard gunshots and came home to find thieves had stolen the things that his father had worked hard to provide for his mother, older brother and sister.
So he got excited when two officers visited his high school to recruit police aides. The doe-eyed 15-year-old decided he wanted to become a cop, maybe make things a little better than he had it growing up.
"I wanted to change my neighborhood, to change other people's neighborhoods, so they could feel safe, you know," says Ayala, now 25. "Because I didn't feel safe."
He wanted that, it turns out, badly enough to break the law.
Though Ayala's family moved to Wisconsin in 1992 from Guadalajara, Mexico, he says he didn't realize until after he'd made up his mind to wear a badge that he was in the country illegally. He didn't know it until his father, Salvador, told him that if he wanted to be an officer, he would have to go back to Mexico and apply for citizenship, a process that can take at least 10 years.
Ayala cried and soon his father, mother and brother wept, too.
A few days later, his father found another option - one that would help Ayala get his dream job, but also would take it away and could cost him his freedom.
His father's cousin, Carmen, who lived in Chicago, would allow Ayala to take the identity of her son, Jose Morales, who was born five months after Ayala in Illinois and died of stomach cancer when he was about 7.
"That was the only option we had if we wanted to stay together," Ayala told The Associated Press recently.
Before his junior year, Ayala - calling himself Morales - switched high schools. The 16-year-old cut his hair, replaced his glasses with contacts and got braces.
In public, he called his parents aunt and uncle and his brother and sister cousins.
It wasn't easy adjusting to a new name and birthday. But the toughest part was not identifying his mami and papi in front of others.
"That really hurt," he says. "Those are my parents."
He was nervous that his true identity would be discovered when he applied to be a police aide at 17, but he had also established a work history at two clothing stores and an electronics store.
After he graduated in 2001, he entered the police aide program and stopped looking over his shoulder.
"Everybody at work, people at school, everyone I met would call me Jose so eventually that was me," he says. "Besides my family, no one else called me Oscar."
He became an officer in December 2004, about 10 months after his father died of leukemia. Eventually, he worked in the same district as his brother, Alex, a fellow officer who was born in the U.S.
And he found it rewarding.
Ayala and his partner once took a knife from a suicidal man on Christmas, he says. Another time, he found a 2-year-old boy walking alone and went door to door until he found his parents. He was helping people, and doing it by the book - except for his secret.
Ayala says he never told anyone about his true identity. But on Feb. 20, an anonymous caller informed Special Agent Russell Dykema of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that officer Jose Morales was really Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, an illegal immigrant.
Dykema spent more than two months comparing data in immigration databases and school records. He even compared yearbook photos.
Ayala was arrested May 31 by two sergeants who took him to the training academy and eventually the immigration office with shackles and handcuffs, where Dykema and another agent explained what they knew.
"I thought I was going to retire and live happily ever after, pay my taxes and all," he says. "It didn't cross my mind at all ... not until that moment."
He sat in jail for a few days, his mind racing: "Who told? Why are they doing this to me? What will happen next? What will happen to my family? How long will I be here? Will someone know I'm a cop in here? What would my father think?"
When he couldn't answer the questions, he started sobbing.
Ayala was charged with falsely representing himself to be a citizen. Two weeks later he agreed to a plea deal.
He could get a year in a federal prison when he is sentenced Monday, or he could get probation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mel Johnson said Ayala's position gave him access to weapons and confidential information, although there was no indication he had abused either privilege.
"When our identity systems lack integrity it's a serious issue," ICE spokesman Tim Counts said. "It's a community safety issue. It's a national security issue."
No one from the Milwaukee Police Department is commenting because Ayala is no longer employed there.
His brother likely will be out of a job soon, too.
The department fired Alex Ayala-Cornejo, a five-year veteran, in September for withholding information about his brother. He's appealing.
Oscar Ayala once wondered who the informant was and what the motives were. He didn't think he had an enemy.
Now, he accepts the consequences.
After he leaves prison, he will be permanently deported. His girlfriend of a year plans to follow him to Mexico.
"The cards that we were dealt just weren't the best ones," he said. "If I wouldn't have done this, I would still be in Mexico waiting to see if I could ever see my family."

Information from: AP Wire Service

Posted by: 94c

Pardon me, CARRIE ANTLFINGER, while I go grab a box of tissues.

If this was any other cop that committed a crime, the whole department would have been labeled corrupt.

Posted by: alphadog1

He's more concerned who ratted him out. Maybe he can get a job in Mexico, when he gets deported.

Posted by: 94c

Anyone know if Mexico takes laterals and do they accept a U.S. academy even without cards being sent out?

Posted by: KozmoKramer

LOL... 94c is looking to become numero unu gringo on the Guadalajara Police Farce..

Posted by: id1811xecj

As an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, he should have been charged with violation of 18 USC 922g (prohibited possessor). He would then be looking at more than a year.

Posted by: resqjyw0

Can you believe this shit? Below are the results from a poll where over 200,000 people voted on the article posted on AOL News.

Should Oscar Ayala-Cornejo be sentenced to prison?
No 65%
Yes 27%
I'm not sure 9%
Total Votes: 214,597

Should Ayala's brother lose his job as a police officer for withholding information?
No 58%
Yes 35%
I'm not sure 8%
Total Votes: 205,070

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/immigra...23125209990001

Posted by: SOT

Wtf!

Posted by: CHICwithBADGE

I DISSENT: I'm sorry but I don't think he should be sent to prison. This is a travesty. If anyone had the intestinal fortitude to reform our broken immigration laws and stood up for what's right, this guy wouldn't be looking at prison time. We should be rallying for him (like the Border Patrol Agents unjustly imprisoned in Texas), not making sarcastic remarks and laughing at his situation. This guy couldn't control where he was born or that he's an illegal alien. His family brought him over when he was very young. He did what he had to do to CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY because our immigration laws are so screwed up.

Posted by: kwflatbed

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

I DISSENT: I'm sorry but I don't think he should be sent to prison. This is a travesty. If anyone had the intestinal fortitude to reform our broken immigration laws and stood up for what's right, this guy wouldn't be looking at prison time. We should be rallying for him (like the Border Patrol Agents unjustly imprisoned in Texas), not making sarcastic remarks and laughing at his situation. This guy couldn't control where he was born or that he's an illegal alien. His family brought him over when he was very young. He did what he had to do to CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY because our immigration laws are so screwed up.

What are you some kind of nut, or another leftist liberal ????????? Is your last name Kennedy Or Kerry ????????

Posted by: resqjyw0

I feel for the guy, make no mistake about that. He had good intentions BUT this is a prime example of poor character. There are other threads on his forum that question character in regards to the hiring process. One being the asking for types of questions for an upcoming oral board. Another being lying/withholding info about underage drinking. I don't think the former is a determination of poor character, but I do think the latter is. The same applies here. How is lying about your identity to cover up your status on citizenship not extremely poor character? If you come up with an intelligent and logical response to that, let me know. I sure can't think of one.

Posted by: 94c

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

Gee, now you're making me feel guilty.

I confess, Worcester Airport is not in Fitchburg.

Posted by: id1811xecj

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

I am, by no means, anti-immigrant. I think there are ways that illegal aliens can contribute to their communities. I do not think that assuming a false identity and submitting false paperwork to get the job is one of them.

If we aren't going to charge him with being an illegal alien with a firearm, I don't think any of the people I sent to prison for that offense should have been charged.

Posted by: kwflatbed

Ex-Milwaukee Officer Must Leave U.S. Over Stolen ID

By CARRIE ANTLFINGER
Associated Press Writer

MILWAUKEE --
A former police officer who stole his dead cousin's identity to get on the force will not go to prison but must leave the country, a judge decided Monday.
Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, 25, was charged in federal court with falsely representing himself as an American citizen after an anonymous tip led the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to him.
He was arrested May 31 and agreed to a plea deal about two weeks later. He resigned in June, his attorney said.
He was sentenced to a year of probation. The maximum sentence could have been three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Ayala did not fight deportation. He has said he plans to live with relatives in Mexico and study computer engineering. It was unclear when immigration officials would force him out of the country, but his attorney said it could be any day.
Ayala apologized to his family, friends, the community and the police department. More than two dozen supporters packed the courtroom.
"It was never my intention to do any harm to anybody," he told U.S. District Chief Judge Rudolph Randa.
Ayala said after the sentencing that he was astonished the judge was so lenient. "It's more than I can ask for," he said.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ayala said his father helped him change his identity to Jose Morales, his cousin who died as a child of stomach cancer.
He told his father he wanted to become a police officer after the department recruited at his high school for the police aide program.
He and his family moved to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1992, and their first neighborhood was rough. They lived next to a crack house, often heard gunshots and had their home burglarized.
"I wanted to change my neighborhood, to change other people's neighborhoods, so they could feel safe, you know," Ayala said recently. "Because I didn't feel safe. I was pretty passionate about that."
His sister was married to a citizen, his brother was born in the U.S., and his parents were on their way to becoming permanent residents. He would have had to go back to Mexico when he became an adult to wait 10 years or more to become a citizen, and his father didn't want to separate the family.
Before his junior year in 1999, Ayala switched high schools, cut his hair, replaced his glasses with contacts, got braces and became more outgoing. He says he became a different person, along with a different name.
His father died of leukemia in 2004, before he could see his son become a police officer that December.
Ayala doesn't hold his father responsible.
"The cards that we were dealt just weren't the best ones," he has said. "If I wouldn't have done this, I would still be in Mexico waiting to see if I could ever see my family."
His 26-year-old brother, Alex, was fired from the department in September for withholding information about his brother. He is appealing.

Wire Service

Posted by: 94c

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

Do you honestly think that this guy could go out and do his job, arrest someone, and then not have someone, somewhere, remotely pissed off and drop a dime on him?

Posted by: CHICwithBADGE

I don't think this guy should have been deported after being in the USA for almost 18 years and his entire family is in the USA. I can see losing his job for lying on his application but c'mon. This is Draconian. I could see if he was an illegal violent. I would agree 100% but this was a standup guy. Sometimes the law has to make allowances for extraordinary circumstances.

Posted by: OutOfManyOne

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

I don't think this guy should have been deported after being in the USA for almost 18 years and his entire family is in the USA. I can see losing his job for lying on his application but c'mon. This is Draconian. I could see if he was an illegal violent. I would agree 100% but this was a standup guy. Sometimes the law has to make allowances for extraordinary circumstances.

You need a good spanking and a knockout banging. That will put a load of common sense in ya.

Posted by: resqjyw0

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

Apparently you never heard of the kid that was an illegal, graduated the Salutatorian in high school and lived in this country for almost his entire life (about 16 of his 18 years, I believe). Originally him and his family came into the country legally on a 6 month visa and overstayed. He still got deported. The thing that sucks, I believe, is the kid that was third didn't get bumped up to Salutatorian. Being 2nd looks better than being third when applying for colleges. Lost that few minutes of fame making a speech on stage at the graduation ceremony and who knows what other benefits (scholarships?). Screwed over by an illegal. These illegal cockroaches are taking away from those that are here legally. Honestly, as long as ICE remains active in deporting illegals, I don't care who they deport. I am all for immigration, just not illegal immigration. Illegals being allowed to stay here after they've been caught is a slap in the face to every current and future legal immigrant.

If he went back to Mexico before he was caught and waited the estimated 10 years to get into this country legally, he could have been a contributing member of our society eventually. He was greedy, took the risk and now he's out permanently. Oh well.

Posted by: adroitcuffs

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

Wow, to follow your line of logic would free up a LOT of people, including legal residents, now in custody!! True, one does not control where they are born or the actions of one's parents. HOWEVER, it would appear that even the parents have taken the legal steps to become citizens. Regardless, HE made a CHOICE to blatently violate the LAW when he was of an age to take the proper legal steps. His brother also showed a lack of integrity in his part of the conspiracy. I agree that immigration reform is needed, however, to allow people to stay here because they flew under the radar just long enough is a significant insult to those who have gone through the trials & tribulations to follow the law.

I'd be curious to know exactly what type of badge you may (or may not) hold. IF you are in a position to enforce the law, I'd be concerned about the integrity of your investigations.

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