FORMER EL PASO FBI CHIEF INDICTED

Former El Paso FBI chief Hardrick Crawford Jr. was indicted by a U.S.
District Court grand jury Wednesday on accusations of making a false
statement about his relationship with a Juarez racetrack owner
suspected of drug trafficking.

Crawford is facing five counts of making false statements or
concealing material facts from federal officials, said Daryl Fields, a
spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of
Texas. Each count is a felony and punishable by up to five years in
prison and a $250,000 fine.

Crawford could not be reached for comment. He was the special agent in
charge of the El Paso FBI office from July 2001 through November 2003,
a court document states.

Most recently, Crawford has been homeland security director for METI,
a government technology contractor on Boeing Drive.

Mary Stillinger, Crawford's lawyer, said late Wednesday, "Mr. Crawford
looks forward to finally being able to defend himself against these
allegations that have been hanging over his head for two and a half
years. There is a great deal of history behind the allegations in the
indictment. When the all the facts are heard in court, we expect Mr.
Crawford will be vindicated."

Fields said the indictment is a result of an investigation by the
Office of the Inspector General, an extension of the U.S. Department
of Justice.

Count one alleges Crawford made a false statement on June 6, 2003, in
an FBI electronic communication regarding his association with Juarez
Racetrack and Gaming Center owner Jose Maria Guardia.

Count two alleges Crawford concealed material facts from the FBI on
June 6, 2003, regarding his association with Guardia.

Counts three and five allege Crawford made false statements in Office
of Government Ethics Public Financial Disclosure Reports submitted to
the FBI for calendar years 2002 and 2003 regarding gifts allegedly
received.

Count four alleges Crawford made a false statement on Nov. 5, 2003, to
the Office of the Inspector General during an agency
investigation.

Court documents state Crawford met Guardia in February 2002, a few
days after Guardia became an FBI informant. Guardia served as an FBI
informant for about six months in 2002, the documents state.

"Thereafter, defendant Crawford socialized with Guardia, introduced
his family to him, and engaged in a pattern of accepting gifts and
favors from him," according to the grand jury charges.

Court records state that the alleged gifts included trips to Las Vegas
and Mexico City, a membership to the Coronado Country Club, weekly
lawn service at Crawford's home and a $5,000-a-month salaried position
for Crawford's wife at the racetrack.

The grand jury charges allege Crawford socialized with Guardia despite
FBI agents advising him that "reliable FBI sources in Mexico were
reporting Guardia's involvement in drug trafficking and money
laundering activity."

The document states that on May 22, 2003, Guardia took a FBI polygraph
examination sought by Crawford. Crawford was notified that Guardia
failed the examination, according to the grand jury charges.

The document further states that on May 27, 2003, Crawford attended a
press conference at the Juarez racetrack and said he was not aware of
Guardia's involvement in any criminal activity.

On June 6, 2003, Crawford in an electronic communication to the FBI
Office of Professional Responsibility, the Security Division, and the
Criminal Investigative Division made a statement that was "materially
false, fictitious and fraudulent," according to grand jury charges.

"As an aside, database checks, source reporting, and agents with long
tenure in the division advised no negative information existed
(regarding) Guardia, who resides in El Paso," Crawford wrote according
to the grand jury charges.

The grand jury charges state Crawford's statement in the electronic
communication was "false" because he knew "negative information
regarding Guardia did exist."

Guardia could not be reached comment.

In November 2003, the Times reported that the Justice Department was
conducting an ethics investigation into Crawford's relationship with
Guardia and the employment of Crawford's wife as Guardia's consultant.

Crawford, 54, retired abruptly as the top FBI official in El Paso on
Nov. 7 after Jose de Maria y Campos, of the Mexican Foreign Ministry,
accused Crawford of meddling in Mexico's internal affairs.

At the time, Stillinger said nothing was illegal or improper about
Linda Crawford's employment by Guardia or about the former FBI
official's relationship with Guardia.

In December 2003, the Mexican federal attorney general's office
announced it had no evidence linking Guardia to money laundering.