United States of America v. Cesar Alejandro Avendano-Soto

Tucson, Arizona criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with assaulting a federal officer resulting in bodily injury.



On March 24, 2020, Avendano tried to enter the United States at the Nogales, Arizona port of entry. U.S. Customs

and Border Protection ("CBP”) officers were suspicious because Avendano had previously been "detained on several

occasions for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine, attempting to smuggle an alien into the United States, and

punching a CBP officer in the face.” CBP officer "J.V.” asked Avendano to produce documentation of his United

States citizenship. Avendano instead attempted to walk past J.V., and J.V. blocked his path and attempted to push him

back from the gate. Avendano put his arms around J.V. and slammed her down onto the concrete floor. J.V.'s head and

shoulder hit the ground. The interaction was captured on the surveillance video.



J.V. was initially diagnosed with a concussion. About a week after the assault, J.V. began experiencing severeUSA V. AVENDANO-SOTO 5 symptoms, including headaches, blurred vision, memory problems, noise sensitivity, and anxiety. She was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury that will cause lifelong impairment in the form of episodic headaches,

short-term memory loss, vision and hearing problems, and blackouts. J.V. was placed on light duty for one year after

the incident. She eventually returned to regular duty but was placed in a new assignment because of the continuing risk of

blackouts and seizures.

Affirmed