A federal jury in Los Angeles on Friday convicted two protesters of stalking after they tailed a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent from a downtown federal building to his Baldwin Park home, broadcasting the pursuit live on Instagram. Cynthia Raygoza and Ashleigh Brown were each found guilty on one count of stalking, while a third defendant, Sandra Samane, was acquitted of related charges. The outcome marks a rare trial win for federal prosecutors in a string of cases tied to anti-ICE demonstrations in Southern California.
What prosecutors say
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the confrontation traces back to Aug. 28, 2025, when the women followed an unmarked government vehicle as it pulled away from the Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles. Prosecutors say the group livestreamed the drive on Instagram, using accounts that included "ice_out_of_la," and that the stream gave directions in real time, then later displayed a photo and an address while the defendants urged viewers to "come on down" to the neighborhood.
Video and testimony
At trial, prosecutors played video showing the group shadowing the agent from downtown streets to a Baldwin Park block, then confronting him and his wife on the street. Jurors were told the footage had gone out to thousands of followers. The Los Angeles Times reports the agent, identified in court as Rogelio Reyes Huitzilin, testified that the encounter left his family fearful. His wife told jurors she has struggled to sleep since the episode and that the family ultimately moved away from the neighborhood.
Verdict, legal stakes and next steps
The jury issued a split decision, convicting Brown and Raygoza of stalking but acquitting them on a related charge alleging a conspiracy to publish protected personal information. Samane was cleared on both counts. "We thank the jury for bringing justice to these agitators who violated the law and endangered the safety of this federal officer and his family," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X, according to reporting cited at trial. Prosecutors say the defendants face statutory penalties of up to five years in prison on each stalking count, and a sentencing hearing is set for June 8, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Defense and free-speech claims
Defense attorneys argued to jurors that the case goes to the heart of where aggressive political protest ends and criminal intimidation begins. They said prosecutors had to prove the women acted with the intent to threaten or incite violence, not simply to publicly challenge a government official. Raygoza’s attorney contended the government faces a heavy burden to show that kind of intent, a point he has also stressed outside earlier court hearings, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Law at issue
The prosecution turns on a relatively narrow federal law that protects certain personal details of covered officials. Under 18 U.S.C. § 119, making "restricted personal information" such as a home address or personal phone number publicly available with the intent to threaten or intimidate can be a crime. The statute defines who qualifies as a protected official and what information is covered, and it allows for a maximum punishment of up to five years in prison for violations.
