Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ATLANTA – Armando Carrillo-Diaz, 45, an illegal alien from Rioverde, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has been sentenced for assaulting a federal officer, arson, and illegally reentering the United States.
“When illegal aliens resort to extreme and dangerous measures to avoid removal, they not only violate our immigration laws but also put law enforcement officers and the public at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our Office is committed to taking decisive action to hold accountable those who attack law enforcement officers and endanger the community.”
“This conviction sends a strong message to those who think they can evade justice by resorting to dangerous and reckless actions,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the dedicated collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels, we were able to catch Armando Carrillo-Diaz, an illegal alien, and hold him accountable for his reckless and fiery attempts to evade justice.”
“Carrillo-Diaz posed a serious threat to law enforcement and the community,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “Our top priority is working with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 26, 2023, deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) attempted to arrest Armando Carrillo-Diaz in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Carrillo-Diaz nearly struck one of the officers as he fled from the scene in a pickup truck.
When ERO officers later returned to his residence to locate him, Carrillo-Diaz attempted to evade capture by setting his apartment on fire. The fire spread, prompting the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Fire Department to evacuate residents from the building. Carrillo-Diaz then sliced his own throat with a box cutter when the officers tried to apprehend him. The officers immediately rendered medical aid and arranged for Carrillo-Diaz’s transport to a local hospital.
On June 26, 2024, a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia returned a superseding indictment charging Carrillo-Diaz with the offenses of Assaulting a Federal Officer, Arson, and Illegally Reentering the United States.
On June 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced Carrillo-Diaz to five years in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Carrillo-Diaz was convicted of these charges on January 29, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by ERO, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Gwinnett County Fire Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.