St. Lawrence County Couple Pleads Guilty to Assaulting and Interfering with a Federal Agent

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Richard A. Dominie, age 22, of Lisbon, New York and Brianna H. Rathbun, age 19, of Massena, New York, have each pled guilty to assaulting, resisting and impeding federal officers. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector, made the announcement. Dominie pled guilty July 3, 2025, and Rathbun pled guilty today.

As part of their pleas, the pair admitted that on March 12, 2025, at approximately 9:45 p.m., Dominie was driving with Rathbun in the vehicle as a passenger, in a dangerous and reckless manner on County Route 4 in Fort Covington, New York. A United States Border Patrol agent was also travelling west on County Route 4 in an unmarked Border Patrol K9 vehicle, enroute to the Massena Border Patrol station to begin his shift. At the intersection of County Route 4 and State Route 95, the agent caught up to the Dominie and Rathbun and activated the emergency lights on his Border Patrol unit to pull the vehicle over.

Dominie exited the vehicle and aggressively approached the agent while the agent was still in his Border Patrol unit. The agent exited his Border Patrol unit and identified himself as law enforcement.  The agent drew his service weapon and ordered Dominie to the ground. Dominie refused and pulled a folding knife from his pocket. The knife blade was not extended. The agent, with his firearm still drawn, demanded Dominie drop the knife, which Dominie did. Dominie returned to his vehicle only after Rathbun told him to.

Dominie and Rathbun exited their vehicle again. The agent grabbed Dominie’s left shoulder and placed him against the Border Patrol unit. Dominie shrugged the agent off and Rathbun then grabbed the agent’s right arm and pulled him away from Dominie. The agent reached to grab Dominie with his left hand, in which the agent was still holding the knife he had secured from Dominie previously, causing the knife to fall to the ground. Rathbun retrieved the knife from the ground. Rathbun got in the vehicle’s driver’s seat, Dominie got in the passenger seat and Rathbun drove away from the traffic stop. The agent, later joined by a second, marked Border Patrol unit pursued Dominie and Rathbun, and Rathbun stopped the vehicle only when she encountered a law enforcement checkpoint with spike strips designed to deflate the vehicle’s tires.

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “The agent simply wanted to issue Dominie a warning to slow down but Dominie and Rathbun never gave him the chance. My office will not tolerate noncompliance of federal agents tasked with keeping this community safe. Anyone in this district who assaults or interferes with federal agents should expect to be prosecuted.”

Dominie is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2025, and Rathbun on December 23, 2025. At their sentencings, the pair each face up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case is being investigated by U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer is prosecuting this case.