{"text":[[{"start":0,"text":"The US Department of Justice has charged a federal immigration officer with lying about the shooting of a Venezuelan national during the Trump administration’s crackdown in Minnesota this year, in a rare rebuke of one of the government’s own employees."}],[{"start":20.94,"text":"Christian Castro, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, was indicted on Wednesday by a federal grand jury for allegedly making false statements over his shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, according to an attorney for the Venezuelan immigrant and another person familiar with the case. The indictment has not been unsealed."}],[{"start":40.76,"text":"Robin Wolpert, Sosa-Celis’s attorney, told the FT that Castro had been indicted for making false statements. “Although the evidence strongly supports civil rights charges, the federal government has grossly undercharged this case,” she said. “Mr Sosa-Celis wants Mr Castro to be held fully accountable for his crimes.”"}],[{"start":60.44,"text":"The charges relating to the January 14 shooting mark the first time the DoJ has charged an officer for alleged misconduct during the immigration operations directed by the US administration. The nationwide crackdown has been a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts."}],[{"start":77,"text":"The DoJ and the US attorney’s office in Minnesota did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Castro could not immediately be reached for comment."}],[{"start":86.5,"text":"Local prosecutors in Minnesota had charged Castro in May in connection with the shooting. They alleged in court filings that the ICE officer fired a gun at the front door of Sosa-Celis’s home and later misrepresented the incident."}],[{"start":98.92,"text":"Wolpert claimed Castro’s statements were intended to “cover up” the shooting of her client through the door of an occupied house without the justification of self-defence."}],[{"start":107.64,"text":"Matthew Evans, the assistant US attorney in Minnesota who was in charge of the case, told Sosa-Celis’s lawyers and victims earlier this week that justice department officials had blocked his efforts to charge Castro with a more serious charge, ProPublica reported."}],[{"start":122.9,"text":"The person familiar with Castro’s case disputed Evans’ account and said a civil rights investigation into the officer’s conduct remains ongoing."}],[{"start":131.68,"text":"Evans was fired on Thursday and is under investigation for alleged obstruction, two people confirmed. Evans could not be reached for comment."}],[{"start":137.32,"text":"After he was charged in Minnesota, Castro was held in custody in Texas, where he is based. Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, refused to extradite the ICE officer, and a legal battle ensued. Castro was ultimately released from a Texas jail last week after a judge declined to order his immediate extradition or block his release."}],[{"start":158.8,"text":"Mary Moriarty, the top prosecutor for Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, said in a statement that an arrest warrant for the ICE officer remains active."}],[{"start":168.4,"text":"If Castro is taken into federal custody and makes a court appearance in Minnesota, as is expected, she said her office stands ready to take him into custody."}],[{"start":178.2,"text":"The local charges against Castro include four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime."}],[{"start":185.44,"text":"The shooting came amid the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, which was opposed by local officials. It occurred between the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, which sparked national outrage over the tactics used by federal immigration officers."}],[{"start":202,"text":"The Department of Homeland Security initially said Sosa-Celis sought to evade arrest after a traffic stop before resisting and assaulting Castro, while two other men attacked the officer with a snow shovel and broom handle, leaving him fearing for his life and safety. Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Aljorna, were charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers."}],[{"start":225.36,"text":"But the DoJ later dismissed the case, citing “newly discovered evidence” that was “materially inconsistent” with the allegations the men faced."}],[{"start":234.04,"text":"Minnesota prosecutors said Castro’s account was not supported by other evidence they gathered. He said he was hit with the broom and snow shovel, but testimony from the two men and other eyewitnesses contradicted that."}],[{"start":245.84,"text":"One of the victims told investigators that Sosa-Celis was in the process of closing the door to his home when one gunshot rang out and the person observed that he had been shot."}],[{"start":255.36,"text":"A video later released did not support Castro’s claim he was assaulted either, and medical records showed that he suffered no “demonstrable trauma” to his body except for an abrasion to his left hand, according to court filings in the Minnesota state case."}],[{"start":274.4,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1788490463_2402.mp3"}