RALEIGH, N.C. – An Arizona man was sentenced on Tuesday to assaulting a federal law enforcement officer at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina (“FMC Butner”).
According to court documents, Michael Anthony Mata, 47, an inmate at FMC Butner at the time of the offense, struck the law enforcement officer in the face after the officer told him he was in an unauthorized area and asked him to return to his assigned housing unit. As a result of the contact, the officer suffered a severe fracture to his left orbital wall that required surgical repair.
“The brave men and women who put themselves on the line every day to keep the rest of us safe, have the well-deserved support of our Office,” stated Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney. “We will vigorously prosecute anyone who assaults a correctional officer, or any other law enforcement personnel, and seek a firm punishment to deter others who may be inclined to do the same.”
Citing Mata’s extensive criminal history and the severity of the assault, United States Federal District Court Judge James C. Dever III sentenced Mata to 114 months in prison. Mata previously pled guilty to the count of Assault on a Federal Officer on March 9, 2022.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Brooks Storus prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-00507-BR.