James Christopher Benvie, False Personation of a Border Patrol Agent, New Mexico 2024

A federal jury in Las Cruces, New Mexico returned a guilty verdict on Mar. 3, convicting James Christopher Benvie, 45, of Albany, Minnesota, of two counts of false personation of a Border Patrol agent.

Benvie misrepresented himself as a Border Patrol agent when stopping immigrants he suspected of crossing into the United States illegally, according to public court records and evidence at trial.

Benvie was a leader and spokesperson for a group of vigilantes who established a “camp” at the Southwest border in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. 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.

The jury’s verdict in this case affirms the principle that we are a nation of laws and do not tolerate vigilantes who take the law into their own hands by falsely impersonating Border Patrol agents, said U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, John C. Anderson.

Benvie is currently out of custody awaiting sentencing. He faces up to three years in prison for each offense.

The FBI and U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuting the case.

Benvie stopped six women and children from El Salvador on Apr. 15, 2019, and four adults and three children shortly after they crossed the border on Apr. 17, 2019. He ordered these immigrants to “stop” while misrepresenting himself as “Border Patrol.”

Benvie later directed these immigrants to move toward the truck of another member of the group for further interrogation before eventually turning them over to Border Patrol.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/federal-jury-new-mexico-convicts-man-minnesota-falsely-impersonating-border-patrol-agent