Developing·Case the developing record
#DC-0179

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis

Federal and state case over alleged false statements and a nonfatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis.

Charged · allegations
last updated 12 September 2026 · 7 sources
Confirmed facts
16
Open questions
4
Fed counts
6
Bond
$75,000
Next date
18 Sep 2026
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, reference D C zero one seven nine. According to a Justice Department press release, an indictment alleges that on January fourteenth, twenty twenty-six, Christian Jeremiah Castro and his partner were working as ICE deportation officers when they tried to stop a vehicle driven by a then twenty-six-year-old Venezuelan citizen in Minneapolis. The Justice Department says the indictment alleges Castro pursued the driver to a north Minneapolis duplex. The Justice Department, with identification reported by the Associated Press, says the indictment alleges Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a then twenty-four-year-old Venezuelan resident, tried to assist the driver during an approximately eleven-second physical interaction. The Justice Department says the indictment alleges Castro fired one shot through the front door as two men entered, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. AP reported that federal assault charges against Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna were dismissed after prosecutors cited newly discovered evidence. AP later reported Minnesota charges against Castro, and the Justice Department announced six federal false-statement counts; all charges are allegations. Open questions include whether additional federal charges will be brought, how Minnesota charges will proceed, whether Castro will enter a formal plea, and what damages claim, if any, Sosa-Celis will file. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero one seven nine at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed16 entries
14 January 2026
The DOJ press release says the indictment alleges Christian Jeremiah Castro and his partner were working as ICE deportation officers when they attempted to stop a vehicle driven by a then-26-year-old Venezuelan citizen in Minneapolis.
DOJ press release
14 January 2026
The DOJ press release says the indictment alleges Castro pursued the vehicle driver by vehicle and on foot and attempted to apprehend him in the front yard of a north Minneapolis duplex.
DOJ press release
14 January 2026
The DOJ press release says the indictment alleges a then-24-year-old Venezuelan resident of the duplex, identified by AP as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, attempted to assist the vehicle driver during an approximately 11-second physical interaction.
DOJ press release; AP
14 January 2026
The DOJ press release says the indictment alleges Castro stood up, drew his service weapon and fired a single shot through the front door as the two men entered the duplex, and that Sosa-Celis was struck in the leg.
DOJ press release; AP
14 January 2026
The DOJ press release says the indictment alleges multiple people, including minor children, were inside the duplex when the shot was fired.
DOJ press release
14 January 2026
The DOJ press release says Castro was interviewed by an FBI special agent later that night and described being attacked with a broom and a snow shovel before firing one round.
DOJ press release
13 February 2026
AP reported that U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson dismissed felony assault charges against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis after federal prosecutors cited newly discovered evidence that was materially inconsistent with earlier allegations.
AP
13 February 2026
AP reported that ICE Director Todd Lyons said ICE opened a joint probe with the Justice Department after video evidence indicated sworn testimony by two officers appeared to include untruthful statements; AP reported the officers were not named at that time and were on administrative leave.
AP
18 May 2026
AP reported that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Minnesota charges against Christian Castro: four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, with a warrant issued for his arrest; these charges are allegations.
AP citing Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty
29 May 2026
AP reported that authorities, including Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, arrested Castro in Cameron County, Texas, after a Minnesota judge issued a nationwide warrant.
AP
26 August 2026
AP reported that U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. refused to order Texas to extradite Castro to Minnesota or to order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign an extradition warrant.
AP
27 August 2026
AP reported that Castro was released from a Texas jail after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not immediately sign Minnesota’s extradition warrant and a federal judge declined to block the release.
AP
2 September 2026
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced that a federal grand jury indicted Christian Jeremiah Castro, 52, of Texas, on six counts of making materially false statements to the FBI during the 14 January 2026 interview; an indictment is an allegation and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
DOJ press release
4 September 2026
AP reported that Castro appeared in federal court in McAllen, Texas, after turning himself in the prior evening; the judge ordered him released on a $75,000 unsecured bond with a GPS ankle monitor.
AP
4 September 2026
AP reported that defense attorneys David A. Lindenmuth and Rolando Cantu said Castro intends to plead not guilty, and AP corrected its story to state that court records did not indicate Castro entered a not-guilty plea that Friday.
AP
18 September 2026
AP reported that Castro was ordered to next appear in federal court in Minnesota on this date.
AP
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Will federal prosecutors bring any additional federal charges beyond false-statement counts?unconfirmed; DOJ said it continues to evaluate facts and evidence, and AP reported a source saying a civil-rights probe was continuing · unconfirmed
How will Minnesota’s state charges proceed alongside the federal indictment?unconfirmed; AP reported both the state charges and an unresolved state-federal jurisdiction dispute · unconfirmed
Will Castro enter a formal plea at or before the 18 September 2026 Minnesota federal appearance?unconfirmed; AP reported defense attorneys said he intends to plead not guilty but court records did not show a plea on 4 September 2026 · unconfirmed
What damages claim, if any, will Sosa-Celis file against the federal government?unconfirmed; AP reported the ACLU of Minnesota said Sosa-Celis plans to seek damages · unconfirmed
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