A 22-year-old Gresham man pleaded guilty Monday to assaulting a federal officer outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland, admitting he struck an ICE agent with a wooden stake during a June 14 demonstration. The plea resolves federal charges that followed a review of surveillance video and witness accounts from the scene. Under the agreement, the defendant will pay restitution, and a federal judge is scheduled to sentence him in October.
Prosecutors' Account of the Attack
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, investigators reviewed video that shows the defendant holding a pointed wooden stake, directing it toward a federal officer, and striking the officer in the back of the head while the agent was helping with an arrest. Prosecutors say the June 14 gathering outside the South Portland ICE office was later declared a riot after some in the crowd hurled rocks and other projectiles at the building. The Federal Protective Service and the FBI investigated the incident before referring the case to federal prosecutors.
Court Calendar and Change-of-Plea
The federal court schedule in Portland listed a change-of-plea hearing for the case on July 27, according to the public calendar. The entry shows the proceeding was assigned to the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, and the docket reflects that the hearing went forward on that date, per the U.S. District Court, District of Oregon.
Plea, Restitution and Next Steps
Prosecutors and local reporting identify the defendant as Ginovanni Joseph Brumbelow, 22, who pleaded guilty Monday to assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and agreed to pay full restitution to the victim, according to FOX 12. A federal grand jury had previously returned an indictment on July 15 charging Brumbelow with assault on a federal officer, assault with a dangerous weapon and civil disorder. Sentencing is set for Oct. 19, and the plea agreement leaves the final punishment to the judge, who will weigh the terms at the October hearing.
Legal Implications
Federal law treats assault on a federal officer as a felony, and prosecutors note that using a dangerous weapon can push the maximum prison term to eight years. The guilty plea resolves the underlying counts, but the court will still consider the plea agreement, restitution and any victim-impact information before handing down a sentence in October.
Where It Happened
The assault took place outside the ICE facility on Macadam Avenue in south Portland, a site the city lists at 4310 S. Macadam Ave. The building has been the focus of protests and a city land use review in recent months as officials examine whether the facility is complying with its permit conditions, according to the City of Portland.
