Federal Indictment Filed Against ICE Agent
A federal indictment was filed on December 17 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against Samuel Saxon, a 47-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent currently suspended from duty. The charge alleges that Saxon provided false statements to a federal law enforcement officer.
Connection to Domestic Violence Case
This federal accusation stems from an alleged domestic violence event reported to have taken place on December 5. According to previous reports, Saxon is accused of placing a woman in a chokehold at their Corryville apartment complex, resulting in visible injuries on her neck.
On December 12, Saxon entered a plea of not guilty to charges including domestic violence, strangulation, and felonious assault.
Witness Account and Evidence
Prosecutors stated that a witness who observed the entire incident provided a detailed account to officers, noting that the victim did not cooperate with the investigation. The witness reported seeing a man dragging the victim into an apartment while holding her in a chokehold and hearing the woman scream, with the screaming continuing after they entered the residence.
Officers who responded found the victim with bruising on her chest.
Alleged False Statements
The new federal charge relates to an interview Saxon gave after his arrest, conducted jointly by an agent from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and Cincinnati police. A federal complaint obtained by media sources claims that Saxon "repeatedly lied" during this interview about his interactions with the victim and the witness on December 5.
The complaint indicates that Saxon told the agent he had only spoken to the victim over the phone that day. However, law enforcement reportedly received video evidence from a witness, said to have been recorded shortly after Saxon was seen taking the victim inside their apartment. "(The videos) appear to capture the sound of an aggressive argument between Saxon and the victim," the complaint stated.
Saxon has been suspended from his role as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ICE office in the Cincinnati region.
