Judge Refuses to Order Texas to Extradite ICE Officer to Minnesota A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, denied Minnesota’s request to compel the state to extradite Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro, who faces charges in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. The decision, announced on Wednesday, prevents Texas from being forced to hand over Castro, who remains in custody in Brownsville, a city near the Mexican border. Under Texas law, Castro would be released after 90 days of detention, which would occur on Thursday, unless an extradition order is issued. Minnesota authorities have sought Castro’s extradition since his arrest, arguing that he could flee the country. The state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, filed a request for a temporary restraining order last week, asking a federal judge to block the Cameron County sheriff from releasing Castro and to compel Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign an extradition warrant. The request was based on concerns that Castro might escape, citing phone calls he made from jail to a woman in Mexico. According to the lawsuit, Castro discussed plans to “marry her and buy a house in Mexico when he is released.” Castro is accused of shooting Sosa-Celis through the front door of a Minneapolis home during an immigration crackdown. Prosecutors allege he fired the gun, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg, and later falsely reported that the victim and another man had attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. Minnesota officials argue that without immediate extradition, Castro could evade prosecution, as they fear he might flee to Mexico or elsewhere. During a federal hearing in Brownsville on Tuesday, attorneys from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office emphasized the urgency of the case.#minnesota #federal_judge #minnesota_attorney_general #christian_castro #greg_abbott
Aimee Bock Sentenced to 42 Years in Prison for Government Aid Fraud Scheme Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding Our Future, was sentenced to nearly 42 years in prison on Thursday for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from government aid programs. The 500-month prison term, the longest in Minnesota’s most notorious federal fraud case, came just over a year after Bock was convicted of wire fraud and bribery. Prosecutors described her as the “mastermind” behind the scheme, which defrauded federal and state programs of over $250 million, with only about $50 million recovered. Bock was ordered to pay more than $242 million in restitution, a figure prosecutors called “massive.” The sentencing followed a dramatic announcement by federal officials, who simultaneously charged 15 additional individuals accused of defrauding social service programs in Minnesota. The new charges, part of a broader Trump administration focus on fraud, targeted individuals who exploited lax pandemic-era rules to siphon taxpayer funds. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald described the defendants as “fraudsters who treated Minnesota-run programs as their personal piggybank.” The newly announced cases involve over $90 million in stolen taxpayer money and include allegations of falsifying meal counts for children, inflating staffing numbers, and falsely diagnosing children with autism to secure government funds. Bock’s sentencing drew attention from legal experts and former prosecutors, who highlighted the severity of her crime. Mark Osler, a University of St. Thomas Law School professor, noted that her sentence was particularly harsh because the fraud affected vulnerable populations, including children and taxpayers, rather than investors.#minnesota #aimee_bock #feeding_our_future #federal_child_nutrition_program #minnesota_attorney_general
