LAREDO, Texas - A 55-year-old Mexican National has been ordered to prison following his conviction of assaulting a federal agent, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. A federal jury sitting in Laredo convicted Miguel Cabrera-Rangel on June 29, 2017, following a two-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña ordered Cabrera-Rangel to serve the statutory maximum of 96 months. At the hearing, the court heard from the victim who provided an update of continuing issues he is having with his eye. He had a pre-existing condition that made him more likely to suffer from a detached retina and his ophthalmologist provided a written statement indicating that the blow to the agent likely precipitated the issue. The detached retina was repaired but then he developed cataracts. He is having another surgery tomorrow. Not a U.S. citizen, Cabrera-Rangel is expected to face deportation proceedings following his prison sentence.
During trial, the jury heard testimony from a Border Patrol (BP) agent who was investigating a report of possible undocumented aliens on a ranch near Hebbronville. He came upon a group of aliens and attempted to apprehend them. Cabrera-Rangel was one of them and engaged in a struggle with the agent, ultimately gaining control of his service flashlight. Cabrera-Rangel then punched the agent in the face and struck him with the flashlight, causing a bilateral fracture of the nose along with lacerations and contusions. Cabrera-Rangel fled, but was later apprehended on a fishing boat in Copano Bay off Corpus Christi.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI investigated the case in conjunction with BP. Assistant U.S Attorneys Michael Bukiewicz and Christopher Coker prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
