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At least 14 people face federal charges related to the recent immigration protests that struck L.A., with alleged crimes ranging from attacks on officers and possession of explosive devices to conspiracy to prevent arrest.
While some have been charged with criminal charges for very serious crimes, including throwing Molotov cocktails at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies last weekend, others face prison time for a very small skirmish with an immigration agent whom one former federal prosecutor called “sad and pathetic.” No one has ever been charged.
Officials at the LA’s U.S. Lawyers’ Office expect the number of people accused to rise in the coming days, and the FBI is taking them to social media for the help of the public. At a press conference Wednesday, he accused 23-year-old Emiliano Garduno Garvez of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Ati, the sheriff’s deputy, during Saturday’s protest. Bill Essay promised more prosecutions.
Our atty. Bill Essayri will speak at Parliament in 2023.
(Rich Pedroncelli/AP)
“We’re looking at hundreds of people… we’re going to take the time to identify them,” Essayri said. “We’re coming after all these people, so let’s make it clear, this is the beginning, not the end.”
In a criminal complaint provided by the U.S. Lawyer’s office in LA, federal authorities accused the protesters of blocking the vehicle, pushing an agent in, grabbing another agent’s arm, and throwing hard objects that are believed to be cinder blocks and rock remains at the agent. Among the federal authorities allegedly accused were Border Patrol agents.
On Wednesday, prosecutors also released accusations of Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach, of possessing destructive equipment, accusing two other men of misdemeanor assault on a federal officer. According to the complaint, LAPD officials found Quiogue in Molotov cocktails (a clear bottle with yellow rags sticking out).
The decision to accused David Fuerta, president of the International Union California service employee, International Union, of the public, was the most shocking experience. The organization’s leaders representing approximately 750,000 people are accused of conspiracy to block executives.
Fuerta was arrested Friday and documented an immigration enforcement raid in downtown fashion district. His detention prompted rallies across the country calling for his release. Members said he was exercising his first amendment rights. He was released on Monday on a $50,000 bond.
Federal authorities said Fuerta intentionally blocked the vehicle, obstructing federal agents’ access to the work site running a search warrant on Friday. Videos of the arrest show Labour leaders being pushed into by authorities with a riot device, appearing to fall backwards and hit his head on the curb.
Huerta’s lawyer Marilyn Bednarski said after watching the video of Huerta circulating interaction with federal law enforcement agencies, “no threats, no effort, no effort to sabotage the government.”
Bednarski’s comments reflect broader concerns from the essays’ approach to protesting the prosecution. Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said that while cases involving explosives and cinder blocks are certainly “serious crimes,” the few crimes that allegedly against Fuerta are intended to send messages to protesters, the rules are different now.
“This is not the type of accusations we normally see as coming from federal authorities. By bringing these accusations, they want to send a message that they have zero tolerance,” she said. “Where do you draw the boundary between organized protests and conspiracy to obstruct? It would actually be interesting to see if the big ju judge would indict these cases.”
Levenson questioned whether the essays went too far to indict Fuerta for the plot, and pointed out that in some cases the claims appear to focus on the demons of normal protests.
“In these cases there are practical issues, such as who pushed who first. Some of the accusations, including photos, seem to be doing a big deal from the way the protesters make indecent remarks and gestures,” she said. “It’s not illegal. They’re doing it to try and strengthen what the intent is here.”
The essayri, a devout Trump supporter and hardcore conservative, reflected the president’s rhetoric that “if we ordered, we were a hit” when he announced another protest-related submission late Wednesday. Omar Prido Bastida, 41, of Los Angeles, was charged with assault that allegedly spitted an ice agent out of the door when he tried to arrest him for illegally re-entering the country, according to the US power of attorney.
The viral video focuses on conflicts between protesters and state, local and federal agents, but the number of actual arrests and criminal charges is difficult to tally.
Federal prosecutors filed lawsuits against at least 14 people. Los Angeles police arrested hundreds of people this week for various crimes, many still under review by prosecutors. Most of the arrests came from misdemeanor offences, including failing to violate a curfew that the LA city law firm normally refuses to prosecute. Wednesday afternoon in Louisiana County. Atty. Nathan Hochman has announced felony charges against eight people in a variety of cases, including assaulting police and robbery.
It is unclear exactly how many immigrants were affected, but federal officials confirmed that hundreds have been arrested by ice officers and agents since Friday.
The protest erupted as federal authorities served as search warrants for four businesses “a suspected of illegally hiring an illegal foreigner and forged employment records related to the employee’s circumstances.”
In the affidavit, which filed a complaint, Ryan Libner, a special agent overseeing the Homeland Security Investigation, accused Huerta of blocking the roads of law enforcement vehicles trying to support a search warrant for Aviance Apparel, a vast fashion warehouse. The company was one of the sites for workplace raids.
Libner wrote that he saw Fuerta pushing back an officer who placed his hand on him in an attempt to move him, but Fuerta has not been charged with assault.
The Times reviewed criminal charges laid out the scope of the sisters against sisters Ashley and Jocelyn Rodriguez, who were linked to the protests at Paramount on Saturday.
Federal authorities allege that they ignored orders to stop the sisters from blocking Border Patrol vehicles. When the agent tried to move Ashley, she was said to resist and then thrust the agent into the free break before being forced. Joceline is said to have grabbed the agent’s arm “with obvious efforts to prevent the USBP agent from arresting him.”
Both have been charged with assaulting federal officials.
“There seem to be many social media accounts. [the] Kenneth Reed, the lawyer representing Ashley, said in an email.
Joceline’s lawyer Kate Corrigan said her client was born and raised in California and was a hardworking college student. She said her client’s actions were “minimal, if any, and not worth federal prosecution.”
“This is by no means a felony,” Corrigan said.
The arrested in Saturday’s protest was Gisel Medina, who was charged with conspiracy to obstruct the officer. According to the complaint, the man believed to be Medina’s boyfriend threw a rock at the agent and when he tried to arrest him, Medina jumped in front of the agent and said he “prevented his arrest.” Medina’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.
“She may not have done the right thing, but she probably never necessarily saw her being accused of conspiracy to thwart an officer in her previous administration,” Levenson said.
The FBI is still looking for Elpidi Oreina. Elpidi Oreina is accused of throwing a rock at a federal vehicle and injuring one of her agents on Saturday after leaving a command post at Paramount.
Among those charged were Russell Gomez Zul, who was not involved in the protest. Border Patrol agents claimed they approached Gomez on Los Angeles Avenue because they “appeared to be surprised and nervous when they saw the agent,” and suddenly changed the course “accelerating the speed and leaving the agent.”
“Based on Gomez’s reaction and movement, Agent OI recognizes Gomez is trying to avoid the agent and suspects Gomez is in the United States,” a special agent in the Homeland Security Investigation wrote in an affidavit. The complaint did not include the agent’s name.
According to the complaint, the agent ordered Gomez to stop, but he abandoned his bike and fled on foot.
Gomez is said to have resisted arrest “by forcing his arm away from the agent’s grip.” According to the complaint, the agent was able to handcuff him and secure him in a striking Border Patrol vehicle.
The complaints say as many as 15 protesters were immediately confronted by agents. In the affidavit, the HSI agent said, based on a review of footage of the incident, “protesters will film on their mobile phones, scream indecency at the agent and throw items at the agent, including the rock.”
According to the complaint, Agent LM opened the door to the rear passengers of the border patrol vehicle where Gomez was sitting. When it opened, Gomez said he pushed his weight against the door and moved his feet out of the car to get out.
According to the complaint, in a later interview with Border Patrol agents, Gomez said he instinctively escaped the agent when he saw the “cop car.”
The essays tried to attract a clear line between the First Amendment and the invasion of criminal acts when speaking with reporters Wednesday.
“You have the right to protest peacefully, and no one is going to stop you, but as soon as you cross that line into violence, you are throwing a rock, you are throwing a rock, you are throwing a bomb, that is unacceptable, that will not be tolerated,” he said. “We’re going to get off with really heavy hands.”
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