RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment
today charging two inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner,
North Carolina (“FCI Butner I”) with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal
officers, as well as inciting or participating in a mutiny or riot within a
federal penal institution.
According to the indictment, on April 22, 2020 Rene Moreno-Castillo
and Javier Tijerina allegedly assaulted, resisted, or impeded federal officers
during the performance of their official duties at FCI Butner I. Specifically, Moreno-Castillo is alleged to
have pulled a fire extinguisher from the wall during an open disagreement with
staff about housing assignments, and sprayed them with its chemical
contents. Additionally, the indictment
alleges that on the same day, prior to the discharge of the fire extinguisher,
Tijerina, expressing the same perceived disagreement, incited and attempted to
cause or assisted in a mutiny or riot within FCI Butner I by openly yelling,
gesturing, and threatening “action” by the inmates if housing assignments did
not change.
According to the indictment, after spraying staff, inmate
Moreno-Castillo barricaded the unit door with lockers which he ripped from the
wall and slid against the door, tied the door shut with a bed sheet, and
continued to spray the fire extinguisher, filling the unit with the powder
contents. FCI Butner I staff, including
a tactical Complex-wide Quick Response Force, were emergently called to the
scene to regain control of the unit.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of North Carolina commented:
“Effectively managing a federal prison is a complex and difficult job
but is one that is critical to the enforcement of our criminal laws and to
ensuring the safety of people in every community across the country. The men and women who serve us from behind
the walls of facilities like those at Butner deserve our support and swift
enforcement when prisoners take any action that impedes their work or, as here,
threatens the security of those officers and risks the proper order and
management of the prison. This
indictment deals with the offenders who tried to incite a riot within the
Butner facility but is also designed to send a message to anyone else who might
consider this type of action; there will be consequences if you jeopardize the
security of our prisons or endanger the brave officers and employees who serve
us from within the facility.”
Moreno-Castillo is charged with violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111
and 18 U.S.C. § 1792. If convicted, he
faces a maximum potential penalty of eight or ten years in prison,
respectively. Inmate Tijerina is charged
with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1792, he faces a maximum potential penalty of
ten years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Higdon made the announcement. Special
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Brooks Storus is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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