A former Deputy U.S. Marshal who beat a shackled prisoner inside the Lafayette federal courthouse is now headed to federal prison himself. On Friday, Joshua Firmin was sentenced to 45 months behind bars after a jury found he assaulted a detainee during custody operations in early 2024 and then lied about it in an official report following a three-day trial in April.
Inside the Lafayette Courthouse Assault
According to the Justice Department, the violence unfolded on February 29, 2024, in a locked cell area of the Lafayette courthouse. Firmin opened a secured cell, grabbed the prisoner by the hair, yanked him into the hallway, and slammed his head into a cellblock wall. The blow left the detainee with a scalp laceration serious enough to require staples.
Prosecutors say Firmin then tried to paper over what happened. In his use-of-force report, he claimed the prisoner had tried to spit, lost his balance, and hit his head on a door. Federal investigators and, later, jurors did not buy that version.
How the Case Broke Open
The incident did not stay a courthouse secret for long. Another Deputy U.S. Marshal reported the assault up the chain of command, triggering an investigation by the Justice Department Office of the Inspector General.
A federal jury convicted Firmin in April after a three-day trial, according to the Inspector General. Local station KATC reported on the verdict and carried a statement from the defense…