A Florida man has been sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison for assaulting a witness who testified against him during his trial related to a home invasion robbery scheme. The sentencing was announced by the Department of Justice.
Remy Ra St Felix, 25, from West Palm Beach, pleaded guilty on May 6 in the Middle District of North Carolina to one count of retaliation against a witness for testimony in a criminal trial. St Felix had previously been convicted on all counts following a nine-count superseding indictment involving a plan to steal cryptocurrency through home invasion robberies. He was sentenced to 47 years in prison for those crimes.
During his original trial, the United States called a witness identified as “Witness-1” who provided testimony about St Felix’s involvement in the scheme. On October 8, 2024, after being sentenced, St Felix assaulted Witness-1 at a detention center in Greensboro, North Carolina. Witness-1 was restrained when St Felix punched him multiple times and verbally blamed him for the lengthy sentence.
“Instead of accepting responsibility for his criminal conduct that resulted in a 47-year sentence, St Felix physically attacked and berated a trial witness,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Witness retaliation threatens the very foundation of our justice system, which relies on truthful witness testimony. We will aggressively prosecute any attempt to retaliate against federal witnesses.”
“Retaliation against witnesses, no matter when or where it occurs, will not be tolerated. And individuals who assault government witnesses should expect prosecution and punishment,” said U.S. Attorney Clifton T. Barrett for the Middle District of North Carolina. “I commend the agents, attorneys, and USAO staff for their commitment and excellent work on cases stemming from this series of internationally organized home invasions.”
“St Felix tried to silence the very process that held him accountable,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Retaliating against a witness strikes at the heart of the justice system. Those who think they can silence or intimidate witnesses will quickly learn the FBI will come after them.”
“St Felix led a ring of violent cryptocurrency thieves and when he was sentenced to 47 years, he physically attacked a trial witness, cowardly choosing to blame someone else for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “This additional prison time means he will likely be in his 70s before possibly walking free again. While we know his victims will never fully recover, we hope this sentence provides them some sense of justice.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.
Trial Attorney Brian Mund from the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Iverson prosecuted.
CCIPS is responsible for investigating and prosecuting cybercrime with help from law enforcement agencies domestically and internationally as well as private sector support; since 2020 it has secured convictions for over 180 cybercriminals and recovered more than $350 million for victims.
