In a federal lawsuit filed this month, an informant known only as John Doe claims he began working with DHS in 2007 for an agent named Don Rodmel. Rodmel was fired the following year after it was discovered that he kept hundreds of thousands of dollars seized from Doe during a money-laundering bust.
Following the seizure from a car that Doe was present in, Rodmel reportedly gave the informant $30,000, claiming that it was authorized by the Department as payment for his help.
The department found out about the theft, and promptly fired Rodmel. But Rodmel kept that information a secret from his informant. The former agent continued to request that Doe carry large sums of money across the Mexican border under the pretense that it was for DHS.
Due to the extreme danger involved in what Rodmel was having Doe do, the former agent promised that DHS would protect Doe and his family, including relocating and renaming them to protect them from retaliation.
Rodmel reportedly seized approximately $450,000 over the next four years with Doe’s help.
In November 2012, Doe was arrested in California with $50,000 that he believed was part of an investigation for DHS. Upon realizing Doe had been used as part of Rodmel’s scheme, the informant was released 24 hours later and Rodmel was arrested.
In 2013, Rodmel pleaded guilty to impersonating a federal agent and was sentenced to five years probation and fined $50,000. The six counts of wire fraud he was also charged with were dropped as part of his plea, Courthouse News reported.
This month, Doe filed his federal lawsuit seeking punitive damages from the United States government for negligence, breach of contract, breach of faith, and promissory estoppel.
"John Doe expended hundreds of hours of work engaged in the transporting of money, reporting to Rodmel and subjecting himself to a risk of physical injury or even death by investigating persons who were involved in conveying money involved in the drug trade," the complaint states.
"As a result of his reasonable and foreseeable reliance on [the government's] promises, John Doe suffered an arrest by state officials and imprisonment for more than 24 hours. John Doe is due reasonable compensation for his lost time, being subjected to danger and risk, which continues to this day, and arrest and imprisonment."
