Jonathan Barba and Abraham Gomez-Rodriguez received federal court sentences for their involvement in a gang-related assault at the Metropolitan Correction Center in San Diego. Barba was sentenced to 51 months, while Gomez-Rodriguez received 37 months for attacking a fellow inmate on March 27, 2024. The assault was reportedly carried out under orders from a Mexican Mafia associate.
Court documents detail that Barba stabbed the victim multiple times with a metal shank as Gomez-Rodriguez restrained him. When the victim managed to escape, Gomez-Rodriguez pursued and continued the attack. The victim sustained serious injuries, including stab wounds near his eye, requiring hospital treatment.
Following the incident, both assailants confessed to acting on behalf of an inmate known as "Alex," identified as a "shot caller" for the Mexican Mafia. Barba's criminal record includes domestic violence and drug importation convictions, while Gomez-Rodriguez has been convicted of drug-related offenses.
The sentences will run consecutively with their current terms. Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden emphasized the commitment to ensuring safety within correctional facilities: “Violence has no place in our correctional facilities,” he stated. Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi commended law enforcement efforts: “I want to applaud the FBI San Diego Violent Crime Task Force and MCC Special Investigations Unit’s commitment and dedication.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Shital Thakkar are prosecuting this case.