Security News: Mexican National Sentenced for Attempting to Escape from Federal Prison

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national has been sentenced for an attempted prison escape in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Juan Fidencio Romo-De La Rosa, 39, of Muzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2021, to escape from federal custody and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield on July 27, 2022.  The 27-month sentence was ordered to be served following an eight-year sentence De La Rosa was already serving at the time of the attempted escape.  De La Rosa was previously convicted of transporting illegal aliens for financial gain and being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2019 in the Western District of Texas. 

According to court documents, on Oct. 7, 2020, officers at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI)-Beaumont-Medium were alerted to an active fence alarm. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officers found an injured and bloodied inmate, identified as De La Rosa, in the process of climbing the outer perimeter razor wire fence. De La Rosa, bleeding from the razor wire, had already cleared an interior fence during his attempted escape. Upon being caught, De La Rosa surrendered to the guards at gun point without incident.

“Rest assured that those who threaten the safety and security of other inmates, staff, and the surrounding community, by escaping and attempting to escape from federal prison will be caught and will surely not escape justice either,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.  “Their reward instead, will be additional time in federal prison tacked on to their current sentence.”

This case was investigated by the FBI and Federal Bureau of Prisons and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Stratso.

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