An illegal immigrant from Venezuela was sentenced to eight months and two days in prison for biting a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on the forearm during a 2025 arrest, according to prosecutors.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, Robert Antonio Bastardo Llovera received his sentence on Monday after pleading guilty to assault on a federal officer on March 3. The charge carries a potential punishment of 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
Related posts
“Our office will continue to prioritize the protection of federal officers engaged in their lawful duties,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement.
“Assaulting a federal law enforcement officer is a serious offense and any actions that put agents and officers at risk will not be tolerated,” added Kevin Murphy, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “We will continue to hold all individuals who assault law enforcement or interfere with investigations and operations fully accountable.”
The Attorney’s Office released an image purporting to demonstrate the ICE agent’s bite-related injury. Bastardo, 32, was living in San Diego when the incident occurred near the city’s Mission Bay district, according to investigators.
“Bastardo pleaded guilty March 3, 2026, admitting that on July 15, 2025, he assaulted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer by biting him on the forearm,” according to the Attorney’s Office.
“During his arrest for an immigration violation, Bastardo engaged in a five-minute struggle with federal officers culminating in the bite. Bastardo was living in the United States without legal immigration status and was ordered removed by an Immigration Judge on June 10, 2025, after failing to appear for court,” it added.
