A Miami jury has convicted an inmate, Orel Valdespino Fernandez, age 41, of assaulting a Bureau of Prisons guard, causing physical injuries including a misaligned jaw and a torn pectoral muscle; the sentencing is set for February 14, 2025, as announced by U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office release, Valdespino, who was already being held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami for a separate crime to which he pled guilty, assaulted the BOP lieutenant on May 5 after refusing to comply with a rule and reacting violently when the officer entered his cell to provide verbal counseling; the clash only came to an end when Valdespino was pepper-sprayed and restrained by another officer stepping in to assist the victim.
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman is expected to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other factors before handing down Valdespino's sentence, this case having been investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office with assistance from BOP, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Keller and Ilana Malkin are credited with prosecuting the case.
For more details on the case, court documents and updates can be found on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website. The press release on Valdespino's conviction is available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida's website.
