The trial of a Riverside woman, accused of following an immigration agent home and livestreaming his address on social media, was tentatively set for Dec. 23.
Cynthia Raygoza, 37, is one of the three women who followed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent home as he was leaving the Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles to return home, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. They then livestreamed the pursuit of the agent and gave directions to the agent’s private residence on their Instagram accounts, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors also allege Raygoza and two other female defendants shouted to people near the agent’s home, saying their “neighbor is ICE” and ICE lives on your street, and you should know.”
Raygoza pleaded not guilty Thursday at her arraignment in downtown Los Angeles to one count of conspiracy and one count of publicly disclosing the personal information of a federal agent.
The 37-year-old woman was not located when she was initially indicted on Sept. 26. But she was later arrested in Louisiana and appeared in court before being brought back to Southern California.
Raygoza was released from federal custody after posting $50,000 bail.
Gregory Nicolaysen, Raygoza’s attorney, told NBC Los Angeles that the DOJ will have a hard time proving that his client meant to hurt the ICE agent.
“The government is required to prove that the actions by the defendants were done ‘with the intent to threaten, intimidate or incite the commission of a crime of violence against’ the ICE agent. This is a heavy burden to meet, Nicolaysen said in a statement.
If convicted as charged, the defendants could each face up to 10 years behind bars, federal prosecutors noted
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