Three Federal Inmates Plead Guilty To Retaliating Against A Government Witness After Vicious Attack

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Jose Carbajal (35, Palm Springs, CA), Edward Camacho (21, Winter Garden), and Jose Lugo (41, Kissimmee) have pleaded guilty to retaliating against a government witness and conspiracy to retaliate against a government witness. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to records and information presented in court, in November 2024, Carbajal was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for drug and money laundering conspiracies. For several years, Carbajal had shipped large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to his partner in a drug trafficking organization operating in the Middle District of Florida. During the course of that investigation, several cooperating sources came forward, including Witness 1. 

On December 26, 2024, Carbajal was in the Seminole County Jail awaiting transport to begin serving his prison sentence for the drug and money laundering conspiracies. Witness 1 was accidentally placed in the same jail housing unit with Carbajal. Within a few minutes, Carbajal recruited two other federal inmates, Camacho and Lugo, to help him retaliate against Witness 1. While Witness 1 was sitting at a table with his back turned, Carbajal, Camacho, and Lugo snuck up from behind and attacked Witness 1. The three inmates knocked Witness 1 to the ground and punched, kicked, and stomped him repeatedly. Carbajal also used a jail telephone to beat him. Detention deputies were able to stop the attack after more than a minute and a half, just after Carbajal shattered a broomstick over Witness 1’s head and back. After the attack, Carbajal, Camacho, and Lugo all made incriminating jail calls indicating their motive and coordinated involvement in the attack. Camacho (4 years, 3 months) and Lugo (7 years, 8 months) are currently serving federal prison sentences for separate offenses.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie K. Boyer.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.