Overview
- A federal jury on Friday found Los Angeles tow truck driver Bobby Nuñez not guilty of stealing government property after an incident involving an ICE SUV.
- Nuñez had been accused of towing an ICE vehicle during the detention of Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, an encounter that was recorded on video.
- His defense argued he moved the SUV only a block and that agents retrieved it within minutes, contending his actions barely interfered with the arrest.
- U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli acknowledged the verdict after previously noting the charge carried up to 10 years in prison if convicted, and his office offered no further comment.
- Nuñez’s attorneys praised the jury as a check on overreach, while Stephen Miller criticized the outcome on X and reporters noted similar ICE-interference cases have often been reduced or dismissed, citing an AP review.