Christian Castro is released from federal custody on a $75,000 bond after pleading not guilty to lying about a shooting.
Christian Castro, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, was ordered released from federal custody on a $75,000 unsecured bond and with a GPS ankle monitor. The federal indictment accuses Castro of falsely telling investigators that he was attacked with a broom and shovel before opening fire on a Venezuelan man, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, during a Minnesota immigration crackdown in January.
Show the rest of this summary
Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, would have been charged with assault, but dropped the charges after video evidence showed the officer may have lied about the encounter. The indictment alleges that Castro had a short physical interaction with the men before they ran into a home with a child inside. Castro then fired a shot through the front door, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg. The indictment states that no person struck Castro with a broom or shovel as he described. Castro was suspended from ICE in February while authorities pursued an investigation. The federal charges follow his release from jail last week after the Texas governor refused to sign an extradition warrant. Attorney David Lindenmuth urged the public not to rush to judgment, while attorney Robin Wolpert stated that Sosa-Celis wants Castro to be held fully accountable for his crimes.