ICE agent pleads not guilty in federal court for allegedly lying about north Minneapolis shooting

Immigration agent Christian Castro pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges alleging that he lied to investigators about the events that led to the January shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in north Minneapolis. 

Castro, 52, of Texas, appeared in federal court in St. Paul Friday morning alongside his attorney, Daniel Gerdts. He pleaded not guilty to the six counts of making false statements — one for each lie he allegedly told the FBI. Castro and his attorney avoided the media as they exited the courthouse, and did not address questions.  

Castro remained fairly quiet during the hearing, only answering questions posed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright with “yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am.” Wright set his bail at $75,000.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent appeared in state court on Thursday to face local charges from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for the same shooting. He’s facing four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime in state court.

Castro was in custody at the Hennepin County jail Thursday, and appeared in an orange jumpsuit for his state hearing that afternoon.Hennepin County District Judge Paul Scoggin set Castro’s bail at $200,000 with conditions after expressing concerns that Castro was a potential flight risk because he made 394 phone calls to someone in Mexico and said he was interested in buying a house there.

The conditions for bail in the state case include no contact with witnesses, no possession of weapons, and supervised release. Castro’s passport has been confiscated.

Castro bailed out of jail later Thursday, and appeared for his federal hearing Friday in a suit and tie. 

Castro made his first appearance earlier this month in the federal case in Texas, where he was released on conditions that restrict him to living in Texas while he travels to Minnesota for court appearances. He also agreed to wear electronic GPS monitoring and observe a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. He drove up to Minnesota earlier this week for Friday’s hearing, and was arrested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on the state charges. 

The charges in both cases stem from a Jan. 14 altercation that ensued when Castro and his partner tried to apprehend Alfredo Aljorna, a Venezuelan citizen, outside Aljorna’s north Minneapolis home. After a brief scuffle, Castro shot through the door of the home and struck Aljorna’s roommate, Julio Sosa-Celis, in the leg.

The federal indictment alleges that Castro lied about being attacked by three men weilding a broom and shovel, that the altercation lasted longer than it did and that he fired his gun in fear of his life. A city traffic camera obtained by investigators refuted much of Castro’s story. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told reporters after Castro’s hearing Thursday that she expects him to try to move the state case to federal court, and that he has 30 days to do so.

The post ICE agent pleads not guilty in federal court for allegedly lying about north Minneapolis shooting appeared first on Sahan Journal.

Originally reported by Sahan Journal by Mohamed Ibrahim. Read the full story at the source.