Two individuals have been indicted for allegedly assaulting federal employees at the IAH Polk Adult Detention Facility in Livingston, Texas, according to an April 21 announcement by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
The indictments concern separate incidents involving Andrei Siskov, a Russian national, and Rosbin Melgar-Lopez, a Guatemalan national. Both men were being held pending removal from the United States when the alleged assaults occurred. The cases highlight ongoing efforts to address violence against federal officers within detention facilities.
Siskov, age 41, was charged with two counts of assaulting or impeding federal officers. The indictment alleges that on February 22 he spit saliva into a detention officer’s face and on April 4 punched another officer in the face, causing injury and visible marks. If convicted, Siskov faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Melgar-Lopez, age 31, was indicted for biting a Department of Homeland Security deportation officer on March 19. He also faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
“These cases are part of Operation Take Back America,” Combs said. “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
Both cases are being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Gaston.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas supports victims through dedicated services according to its official website. The office prosecutes federal crimes and manages civil litigation across its jurisdiction covering 43 counties with about 100 staff members—including roughly 50 assistant U.S. attorneys—operating out of offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler according to its official website.
