A Guatemalan national living in Lake Worth Beach has been sentenced to federal prison for assaulting two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during an attempted arrest. Fredy Aureliano Morales-Ramirez, 39, received a sentence of one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty to forcibly assaulting a federal officer.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks issued the sentence following Morales-Ramirez’s guilty plea. The incident occurred on August 13, 2025, when ICE deportation officers tried to execute an arrest warrant for Morales-Ramirez, who was found to be illegally present in the United States.
According to court records, officers located Morales-Ramirez during a vehicle stop near his residence. He refused to comply with commands, attempted to drive away, and resisted arrest by pushing the officers and grabbing their handcuffs. He then tried to escape on foot through the passenger-side door of his vehicle.
The officers pursued him and attempted to restrain him as he continued resisting by striking them on their arms and torsos. With assistance from a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the officers were able to restrain Morales-Ramirez on the ground.
“Assaulting federal officers will never be tolerated here,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These officers were doing their jobs, lawfully executing an arrest warrant, and they were met with violence. Today’s sentence makes clear that if you attack federal law enforcement in South Florida, you will go to prison.”
The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ralston prosecuted the case.
Additional information about this case can be found at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-80140.
