LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A man in New Mexico has been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for impersonating a Border Patrol agent.
Prosecutors said 45-year-old James Christopher Benvie received a 21-month prison term after being convicted in the case in March.
Court records show Benvie was a leader and spokesperson for a group of vigilantes who camped at the border in Doña Ana County.
Authorities said many members of the group wore badges, camouflage and other military-style clothing, often covered their faces with masks, and carried pistols and assault rifles.
Benvie misrepresented himself as a Border Patrol agent in April 2019 when stopping and interrogating immigrants he suspected of crossing into the country illegally, prosecutors said.
