DENVER—Following a two-day jury trial
before U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello, Antoine J. Wallace, an
inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, was found guilty of
three counts of assaulting two Bureau of Prisons employees. The jury
deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before returning their guilty
verdicts. Wallace is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Arguello on September
13, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. The defendant appeared at the trial in custody and was
remanded immediately after the verdict was read.
Wallace chose not to attend the first
day of his trial. He acted as his own attorney (pro se) on the second day of
his trial. The court appointed stand-by advisory counsel should Wallace want
legal advice.
Wallace was indicted on February 14,
2011 by a federal grand jury in Denver. He was found guilty of three counts of
assaulting a Bureau of Prisons employee on June 12, 2012.
According to the indictment and facts
that came out during trial, on December 21, 2010, at the United States
Penitentiary High Security Facility in Florence, Wallace did intentionally
forcibly assault an officer and employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on
two separate occasions, while the victims were engaged in the performance of
their official duties. The commission of the violent acts resulted in bodily
injury to the victims. One of the victims is medically disabled and can never
return to work for the Bureau of Prisons.
Wallace faces not more than 20 years in
federal prison and a fine of not more than $250,000 per count for each of the
three counts.
“Through the hard work of the trial
team, an inmate who has proven himself a danger to others and who assaulted two
Bureau of Prisons employees has been convicted and will be kept off the
streets,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
FBI Special Agent in Charge James Yacone
stated, “The FBI is committed to providing all necessary resources and working
together with the Bureau of Prisons to fully investigate crimes in which
federal prison employees are brutally assaulted. Such actions by prisoners will
never be tolerated.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau
of Prisons-Special Investigative Services and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
Wallace was prosecuted by Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Hayley Reynolds and Judith Smith.
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