Venezuelan national convicted of assaulting federal officer

Date: March 16, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

San Diego - Robert Antonio Bastardo Llovera, a Venezuelan national residing illegally in the U.S., was sentenced in federal court today to eight months and two days in custody for assaulting a federal officer near Mission Bay.

Bastardo pleaded guilty March 3, 2026, admitting that on July 15, 2025, he assaulted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer by biting him on the forearm.

During his arrest for an immigration violation, Bastardo engaged in a five-minute struggle with federal officers culminating in the bite. Bastardo was living in the United States without legal immigration status and was ordered removed by an Immigration Judge on June 10, 2025, after failing to appear for court.

"Our office will continue to prioritize the protection of federal officers engaged in their lawful duties," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

"Assaulting a federal law enforcement officer is a serious offense and any actions that put agents and officers at risk will not be tolerated," said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. "We will continue to hold all individuals who assault law enforcement or interfere with investigations and operations fully accountable." This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel F. Casillas and Loren G. Renner.

Defendant: Robert Antonio Bastardo Llovera, San Diego, California

Case Number: 25-cr-3017-H

Summary of Charges:

• Assault on a Federal Officer - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 111(a) and (b)
  • Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

Investigating Agencies: Homeland Security Investigations

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.