A Tampa man and woman face serious charges after an altercation with a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent earlier this July. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe has announced the indictment of Alfredo Javier Fuentes, 22, and Luz Mary Vasquez Cruz, 45, both from Tampa, for the forcible assault, resistance, or impediment of a federal officer or employee. According to a statement from the Department of Justice, if found guilty, each could be staring down a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.
Details about the incidents leading up to this indictment, officially released today, indicate that during an HSI investigation on July 15th, Fuentes and Cruz reportedly angled themselves between agents and their target. Court records obtained by the Department of Justice reveal that the scuffle enabled the subject of the investigation to momentarily escape. Both Fuentes and Cruz are accused of having shoved an HSI agent, a move which allegedly permitted said subject to slip back into the residence under investigation.
While an indictment represents a significant legal move, it is important to bear in mind that it is not indicative of guilt. The formal charge does assert that one or more federal laws may have been broken, but as per the American judicial system, Fuentes and Cruz remain presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. The case, drawing upon investigations by Homeland Security Investigations, is set to be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang…