Former Warren Police Officer Charged With Using Excessive Force Against A Jail Prisoner

DETROIT – A former Warren police officer is facing federal charges for violating a jail prisoner's civil rights by allegedly assaulting the prisoner without justification. United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced the charges on Monday.

Matthew J. Rodriguez, 48, a former Warren Police Officer, was charged with deprivation of rights under color of law in a criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, on June 13, 2023, while Rodriguez was working as a jail officer at the Warren Police Department, the victim was brought to the department after being arrested. During the processing, Rodriguez is accused of repeatedly assaulting the prisoner without justification. Surveillance footage from the police department shows that while the victim had his hands down at his sides, Rodriguez struck him in the head with enough force to make him stumble backwards. He then allegedly shoved the victim against a wall and threw him to the floor, where he proceeded to repeatedly punch the victim in the head with a closed fist and slam his head into the floor.

The severity of the alleged abuse prompted federal authorities to step in, and Rodriguez now faces a felony charge for deprivation of civil rights.

U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison expressed her concern over the shocking abuse of authority demonstrated by the officer, emphasizing that such conduct must not go unpunished. Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido, who initially brought misdemeanor charges against Rodriguez, cooperated with federal authorities to ensure justice is served. The state charges will be dismissed to allow the federal case to proceed.

Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, Devin J. Kowalski, reiterated the FBI's commitment to protecting the civil rights of all individuals, including those in police custody. He acknowledged that the alleged conduct of the defendant does not reflect the professionalism and honor expected from law enforcement officers.

If convicted on the civil rights charge, the defendant could face up to ten years in prison. However, a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt, and Rodriguez is entitled to a fair trial where the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the FBI, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moran is prosecuting the case.

This incident serves as a reminder that the protection of civil rights is fundamental to the principles of justice in a democratic society. Authorities are working together to ensure righteousness in the legal system and uphold the values of accountability and integrity in law enforcement.

Ferguson “Peacemaker” To Speak at Kansas Civil Rights Symposium

TOPEKA, KAN. - A federal peacemaker who spent months working with community and police in Ferguson, Mo., will be a featured speaker at the U.S. Attorney’s Kansas Civil Rights Symposium in Topeka.

The symposium is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 14 in the auditorium of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site at 1515 SE Monroe in Topeka. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

Rita Valenciano, a conciliation specialist with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service (CRS), will speak on how the agency works to build stronger relationships between police departments and communities. She was a member of the CRS team that went to Ferguson, Mo., following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014.

“Rita and other representatives of the Community Relations Service are our peacemakers,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “They don’t investigate or prosecute. They work to build mutual understanding.”

Registration is still open for the symposium, but seating is limited to 100.  The symposium annually attracts law enforcement officers and civil rights leaders from across Kansas. Other topics will include human trafficking and a presentation on the Americans with Disabilities Act by Anthony Fadale, ADA Coordinator for the State of Kansas.

U.S. Marshals Mark 50th Anniversary of the Integration of ‘Ole Miss’

WASHINGTON – On the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 30, 1962, 127 Deputy U.S. Marshals, 316 federalized border patrol personnel and 97 deputized prison guards, on the orders of then - U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, surrounded the administration building on the campus of the University of Mississippi.

The registration office, known as the “Lyceum,” was a historic, columned building, which in the morning would admit Mr. James Howard Meredith as the institution’s first African-American student. Previous attempts at registration were stopped, as Governor Ross Barnett and other state officials supported segregation.

As evening approached, the crowds around the Lyceum grew. The deputies were dressed in military helmets, vests and armed with tear gas, just in case. The crowds became more aggressive as darkness fell. Bricks and battery acid were hurled at the deputies, followed by buckshot and vehicles, but still the line held.

From inside the Lyceum, deputies and Department of Justice officials communicated with the president and attorney general. Help first came from Mississippi National Guard troops, but their numbers were too few to make a difference. Then at 2 a.m., active duty military forces arrived to relieve the deputies. During the heroic 11 hours on the line, 168 were injured, of which 79 were Deputy U.S. Marshals. Dents from the attacks remain in the Lyceum’s columns to this day.

The deputies stayed at the university after the riot ended until the morning. Meredith, who arrived later, was guarded by another detail of Deputy U.S. Marshals and he registered without incident. Deputies accompanied Meredith during his time at the university until his graduation in August 1963.

Throughout the 223-year history of the U.S. Marshals Service, deputies have carried out their orders no matter how unpopular or how dangerous. 

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

Former Camden Police Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Civil Rights Violations

CAMDEN, NJ—Former Camden Police Officer Antonio Figueroa, 36, of Camden, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for conspiring with fellow police officers to deprive others of their civil rights and for two specific instances of violating those rights, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Figueroa was convicted following a three-and-a-half-week trial before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler. The evidence at trial showed that Figueroa conspired with then-Camden Police Officers Kevin Parry, 31, of Brooklawn, New Jersey; Jason Stetser, 34, of Waterford Township, New Jersey; and Dan Morris, 49, of Moorestown, New Jersey, to deprive individuals of their due process rights and their right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

“This sentence sends the right message to those in law enforcement who would engage in illegal conduct: corrupt police officers undermine the dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line every day and betray the public trust,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “The punishment for that betrayal must be swift and strong.”

According to documents filed in this case and evidence at trial:

The jury found that Figueroa’s illegal conduct included unlawful searches of residences in the Winslow Court apartment complex and the arrest of an individual based on materially false information. Figueroa also authored reports containing materially false and misleading facts and statements to conceal the unlawful acts committed by the conspirators in connection with each of these incidents.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Figueroa to two years of supervised release and ordered a restitution hearing to be held later.

Parry, Stetser, and Morris each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive others of civil rights on March 19, June 29, and August 26, 2010, respectively. All three await sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Resident Agency in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George C. Venizelos; investigators and prosecutors of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk; deputy attorney generals from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Division of Criminal Justice, under the direction of Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa; and the Camden Police Department, under the direction of Chief John S. Thomson, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

The government is represented by Deputy U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Skahill of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Forms Civil Rights Enforcement Unit

BIRMINGHAM—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama has formed a Civil Rights Enforcement Unit to expand the office’s work in enforcing federal civil rights laws in both the criminal and civil contexts, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice Thomas E. Perez announced today.

The new unit is part of a broader civil rights initiative that will enhance the ability of the U.S. Attorney to enforce federal civil rights laws and ensure that all persons within the Northern District of Alabama enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Veteran federal prosecutor Robert Posey, who has been nationally recognized for his role in the successful prosecution of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing cases, will head the unit. The Civil Rights Enforcement Unit will prosecute the full spectrum of federal civil rights crimes, including excessive force by police, human trafficking, and hate crimes. It will also handle law enforcement corruption cases.

The new unit also will include attorneys in the Civil and Appellate Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who will focus on cases involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), fair housing, fair lending, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Service Member Civil Relief Act, Uniform Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA) and civil cases designed to remedy patterns and practices of police misconduct. The unit will also pursue civil environmental cases and environmental justice cases under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The civil rights unit will work closely with the Criminal Rights Division of the Department of Justice and federal law enforcement agencies in northern Alabama.

Vance and Perez made the announcement at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which is committed to both preserving and overcoming Birmingham’s troubled civil rights history.

Vance also announced the formation of the U.S. Attorney’s Community Advisory Board for Civil Rights, a group that will consist of community stakeholders and organizations. The advisory board will keep the U.S. attorney and federal law enforcement informed on emerging issues and community concerns, while providing a flow of information back to the community on civil rights enforcement. This group has already raised concerns that have led the U.S. attorney to form an anti-bullying working group. The formation of the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit and community working group will facilitate future prosecutions by providing dedicated prosecutors and a formal arrangement to coordinate the flow of information from affected communities to law enforcement.

FBI Special Agent Cornelius Harris and Department of Homeland Security Investigation’s Resident Agent in Charge David Denton joined the U.S. Attorney and the Assistant Attorney General for today’s announcement. The FBI is the primary federal enforcement agency for federal civil rights crimes, and ICE investigates human trafficking cases and other crimes.

The U.S. attorney’s civil rights initiative reflects the Justice Department’s renewed commitment to aggressive civil rights enforcement. By efficiently devoting resources and attention to these crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will do its part to ensure the vindication of every American’s constitutional rights.