Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin has announced that the federal grand jury sitting in Milwaukee has indicted former Milwaukee Police Department Detective Rodolfo Gomez, Jr. (age: 49) for willfully depriving an in-custody subject of his civil right not to be subjected to excessive force, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242. If convicted, Mr. Gomez could be sentenced to a maximum possible term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of not more than $250,000, and a term of supervised release not to exceed three years.
The charge is based on the allegation that, in an interview room in the Police Administration Building on Aug. 14, 2013, Gomez repeatedly punched the victim in the face and head and kneed him in the torso, all while one of the victim’s hands was handcuffed to a wall in the interview room. Gomez stopped punching and kicking the victim when a police lieutenant who heard yelling entered the room. The indictment alleges that the force used was unreasonable and that the victim suffered bodily injury.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the FBI, building upon an earlier investigation done by the Milwaukee Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad and Assistant United States Attorney Mel S. Johnson. # #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
