FBI Agent Charged with Wire Fraud-Witness Tampering
FBI Agent Joe Gordwin was indicted in Arizona last week for wire fraud, making false statements and witness tampering. The agent was arrested inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Phoenix. Agent Gordwin was having an affair with the wife of a defendant in a robbery case. The relationship was hidden from his FBI supervisors for 3 years. This type of case is not uncommon for many of the governments law enforcement agencies. The agents get so involved in the case that they spend more time with suspects than they do with their own private life. I have defended law enforcement officers for various crimes and they are always treated more harshly than a regular defendant.
The press is reporting that Agent Gordwin is facing up to 285 years in prison. Although I do not know the specifics of the indictment, that number is extremely high for a non violent crime. The United States Attorney does not tolerate any violations of the law by federal agents, unless it is in the best interest of the government. This type of indictment usually occurs in major cities and not in areas like Myrtle Beach or Charleston. I have seen these indictments in New York and Miami several times. This could be attributable to the larger number of agents in these larger cities and the increased number of investigations. Defending an agent is very tricky. Luckily I have a former FBI agent as a key partner in defending police officers and federal agents.
