Three FCI Aliceville Inmates Indicted for Assaulting Other Inmates

BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted three inmates at the women’s Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville for assaulting other inmates, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr.

The grand jury returned separate indictments involving two assaults at the prison in May. One three-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges MIREYA GARCIA-ROMO, 34, and MARIBEL GOMEZ-MEZA, 31, in connection with a May 13 assault on another inmate using a weapon made of razor blades. Garcia-Romo and Gomez-Meza are charged with acting in concert to commit an assault that resulted in serious bodily injury, committing an assault with a dangerous weapon that resulted in serious bodily injury, and possessing contraband for having a handmade object consisting of four razor blades wrapped together and secured with tape.

A second three-count indictment charges MICHELLE VASQUEZ-YADO, 35, for assaulting a fellow inmate on May 17 with a broken piece of mirror designed for use as a weapon. The indictment charges Vasquez-Yado with assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon that resulted in serious bodily injury and possessing contraband by having the mirror fragment intended for use as a weapon.

The maximum penalty for assault resulting in bodily injury is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for possessing contraband in prison is five years, which must be served consecutively to the sentence being served when the crime was committed, and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI investigated the cases, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Pat Meadows is prosecuting.

An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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