FED PROSECUTORS OFFERING S.A. COPS PLEA BARGAINS

The government has offered plea deals to several San Antonio police officers
swept up in the FBI's local probe of alleged cop crimes, including two
officers identified by investigators as "ringleaders."

Defense attorneys for officers Manuel Cedillo Jr., Patrick Bowron and Conrad
Fragozo Jr. confirmed Tuesday their clients have been offered deals.

All three cops have been charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute
cocaine as well as attempted possession and distribution of cocaine.

Bowron and Fragozo, tagged as ringleaders by authorities, also were charged
with possession of a firearm during drug trafficking.

The U.S. attorney's office refused to discuss whether the government has
made any plea proposals, but acknowledged such offers are hardly rare.

"I've seldom seen a case where there wasn't some negotiation," Assistant
U.S. Attorney David Counts said.

The legal clock barely has begun ticking in the cases of two civilians and
10 local law officers. All but one were charged last month with attempted
cocaine trafficking. Several officers were accused of using their badges to
protect shipments of what they believed was cocaine.

No trial date has been set, and defense lawyers have not seen the complete
evidence, including all the hours of video tapes featuring an undercover FBI
agent posing as a cocaine smuggler.

A compilation of segments from several tapes, however, was made public
shortly after the arrests were made.

Several lawyers spoke guardedly about the offers that came in recent days.
While none said their clients would accept a deal, none dismissed the
possibility.

Nor would the lawyers reveal how much prison time prosecutors were talking.

Cedillo faces more than 15 years in prison if convicted at trial, the
government initially announced.

Cedillo's attorney, Jack Stick, said the plea deal included a lesser penalty
but not one that could be considered a bargain.

"It's still a pretty sizable amount of time," he said.

Stick said he received the deal Tuesday and believed his client was the last
of the SAPD officers to get the offer.

Bowron and Fragozo remain in custody without bond and face life in prison if
convicted.

Bowron's lawyer, Ronald Guyer, said he went to the prosecutor's office
Monday hoping to see more of the government's evidence and instead got a
packet containing a plea offer.

But Guyer said it would be premature to consider a guilty plea without
seeing more of the evidence.

He also indicated the government proposal offered scant relief to the
27-year-old Bowron.

"The offer is ridiculous, but so is what he faces (if a jury comes back with
a guilty verdict)," Guyer said.

Fragozo's lawyer, Joel Perez, said he received an offer last week but has
yet to discuss it with his client. Instead, he has been working late
preparing arguments that he hopes will win Fragozo release on bond.

While Assistant U.S. Attorney Counts wouldn't talk about a possible deal, he
did say prosecutors generally owe it to defendants as well as to taxpayers
to reveal what both sides can do to avoid costly and unpredictable trials.

It was unclear whether others charged in the case would get similar deals.
Roland Garcia, attorney for sheriff's Deputy Richard Rowlett Buchanan, said
Tuesday night his client had not been made an offer but Garcia had an
appointment with prosecutors today.