A California man, Gabriel Omar Gigena, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for assaulting a federal officer. The sentencing took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart also ordered three years of supervised release for Gigena.
Court records show that on May 4, 2024, two officers with the United States Marshal Service were assigned to apprehend Gigena at a park in Park City, Utah. Their mission included securing his twin three-year-old daughters and ensuring public safety. Due to security concerns, the officers moved quickly to detain Gigena. During the arrest, one officer pushed Gigena’s hands away from his daughters. As they fell to the ground, Gigena put the officer in a choke hold and began strangling him.
“Gigena is a danger to the public and to law enforcement across the country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has zero tolerance to those who threaten public servants,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “Gigena engaged in very serious and violent conduct against a law enforcement officer, and that is unacceptable. No one is above the law, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute crimes of this nature.”
“This case is a stark reminder of the dangers law enforcement faces every day in service to our community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Albert Kelly of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Violence against civil servants will not be tolerated. The FBI is committed to ensuring justice is served.”
The investigation was led by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Pead and J. Drew Yeates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that unites various levels of law enforcement with local communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence across neighborhoods nationwide. In May 2021, PSN adopted new strategies focusing on trust-building within communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, targeting enforcement efforts strategically, and measuring results over time through programs like those described at Justice.gov/PSN.
