Tampa Resident Sentenced To More Than Three Years In Prison For Punching A Federal Official

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington yesterday sentenced Quentin Cephus (30, Tampa) to three years and five months in federal prison for forcibly assaulting and inflicting bodily injury on a federal official, while that employee was carrying out his official duties. Cephus pleaded guilty on December 19, 2016.

According to court documents, on February 9, 2016, Cephus approached a U.S. Bureau of Prisons official who was conducting an audit at the Hillsborough County Residential Re-entry Center. Cephus, who was a resident at the center, punched the official in the face with a closed fist and inflicted bodily injury on him. Moments later, he spat in the official’s face.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Mandy Riedel.