ALEXANDRIA, Va. - An El Salvadoran national pleaded guilty today to assaulting and impeding a transportation officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On July 3, 2017, Marlon Danilo Rivas-Mendez, 28, was being transported from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center to an ICE facility for deportation. Rivas-Mendez had previously been deported three times to El Salvador and had recently been found in Loudoun County after having again re-entered the United States illegally. During the transportation, Rivas-Mendez complained repeatedly that his handcuffs were too tight. When the officer tried to help him, Rivas-Mendez struck the officer in the chest and neck, before fleeing the scene.
Rivas-Mendez faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison when sentenced on Oct. 20, 2017. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Russell Hott, Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Hilton accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Ravas and Lilian Timmermann and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-189.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
