A Dominican national has pleaded guilty to resisting federal officers during an immigration-related arrest in Boston. Eddy Rafael Matos-Lara, 35, entered his plea on November 13, 2025, to one count of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with federal officers performing their official duties. United States District Judge Leo T. Sorokin set sentencing for December 15, 2025. After serving any imposed sentence, Matos-Lara will be subject to deportation.
Matos-Lara was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025. He had unlawfully entered the United States on January 5, 2024 at Nogales, Arizona. Border officials identified and fingerprinted him before releasing him into the community.
On June 15, 2025, local authorities arrested Matos-Lara in Boston and charged him with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The following day at Roxbury District Court during his arraignment, immigration authorities attempted to take him into custody.
According to court documents, two federal law enforcement officers approached Matos-Lara at the courthouse and informed him he was under arrest for being unlawfully present in the country. Matos-Lara resisted arrest by assaulting both officers and trying to escape. After several minutes of struggle, he was subdued and taken into custody. Both officers required medical attention due to injuries from the incident.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison as well as three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing decisions are made by a federal district court judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement.” Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin from the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
