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Rocker’s Retaliation: Witness Slammed Against Concrete Wall
Rockford, IL – In a shocking display of brutality, a former Freeport man has been convicted of witness retaliation after slamming a witness’s head against a concrete wall.
Damon Rucker, 36, was found guilty of causing bodily injury to a witness on Dec. 20, 2012, with intent to retaliate against the witness for testifying against him in federal court.
According to the indictment and evidence at trial, Rucker was initially convicted in federal court in Rockford on July 31, 2012, having pled guilty to a drug trafficking crime. A co-defendant, who also pled guilty in that case, agreed to cooperate with the government and testified against Rucker during Rucker’s sentencing hearing.
On Dec. 20, 2012, Rucker, with intent to retaliate against the co-defendant for testifying, slammed the witness’s head against a concrete wall while both were in custody. At the time, the victim was in the process of being transported to a different jail and was in hand and leg shackles. Rucker was not shackled at the time.
Rucker faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, in addition to a term of supervised release of up to 5 years following his imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000. The Court must impose a reasonable sentence under the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. in federal court in Rockford.
The conviction was announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Cory B. Nelson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States Marshals Service and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott R. Paccagnini and John G. McKenzie. This case is a stark reminder of the consequences of retaliation against those who cooperate with the government.
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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