NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FEDERAL LAWYERS
What is 18 USC 111
|Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group – a second-generation law firm managed by Todd Spodek. We have over 40 years of combined experience handling federal criminal cases, including some of the most publicized cases in recent history. You probably know us from the Netflix series about Anna Delvey, or our representation of a juror in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, or maybe the Alec Baldwin stalking case. This article explains 18 USC 111 – the federal statute that makes assaulting a federal officer a serious crime. If you’re charged under this law, you need to understand what prosecutors have to prove and what sentences people actually receive.
18 USC 111 criminalizes assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers while they’re performing their official duties. The statute has three separate tiers with dramatically different penalties – simple assault that’s a misdemeanor, serious assault that carries up to 8 years, and assault with a deadly weapon or causing bodily injury that can put you in federal prison for 20 years. The statute applies to basically any federal employee performing official duties, from TSA agents at airports to IRS auditors reviewing your business records to FBI agents executing a search warrant.
The Three-Tier Penalty Structure
Simple assault under 18 USC 111 is a Class A misdemeanor – up to one year in jail and fines up to $100,000. This covers forcibly assaulting, resisting, impeding, or interfering with a federal officer. You don’t need to make physical contact. Throwing papers at an IRS agent during an audit is simple assault. Blocking a federal marshal’s path during an eviction is simple assault.
The second tier involves physical contact with the victim or intent to commit another felony – up to 8 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000. If you shove a TSA agent who’s screening your bag, that’s physical contact. The sentencing guidelines typically put first-time offenders with physical contact at 12-18 months.
The third tier is assault with a deadly weapon or causing bodily injury – up to 20 years in federal prison. In February 2025, George Stevens received 33 months for assaulting a TSA officer at Indianapolis International Airport. In Charlotte, Erik Tillman got seven years for assaulting federal officers who were trying to arrest him on outstanding warrants. The range is enormous depending on what you actually did and your criminal history.
Who Counts as a Protected Federal Officer
The statute protects anyone designated in 18 USC 1114 while they’re engaged in official duties. That’s an extremely broad list – federal law enforcement (FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service, Capitol Police), TSA screeners, postal workers, IRS agents, federal judges, federal probation officers, federal public defenders, even contract employees working under federal authority. You don’t need to know the person is a federal officer. Prosecutors don’t have to prove you knew. If they’re performing federal duties and you assault them, you’ve violated 18 USC 111.
TSA cases are common because airports have cameras everywhere and multiple witnesses. In September 2024, Ma’Kiah Coleman pled guilty to assaulting TSA officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport – she grabbed one officer by the hair and slammed her head against a table repeatedly, then elbowed another officer in the head. She got four months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. At the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Leury Mojica was sentenced in April 2025 to 108 months for assaulting a federal correction officer. The location doesn’t matter – if the officer is performing federal duties, the statute applies.
What Prosecutors Must Prove
Force is an essential element – the Ninth Circuit has held that convictions under 111(a) require at least some form of assault. A threat of force satisfies the statute. If you swing at an FBI agent and miss, that’s still assault under 18 USC 111. If you threaten a postal inspector with a weapon, that’s assault even if you never use it.
The officer must be engaged in official duties at the time. An off-duty FBI agent getting into a bar fight isn’t protected by this statute. But “official duties” is interpreted broadly – executing warrants, conducting investigations, performing security screenings, auditing taxpayers, transporting prisoners. The DOJ’s Justice Manual explains courts apply the statute liberally to protect federal employees performing their jobs.
Prosecutors don’t need to prove you knew the victim was a federal officer. If you assault someone who turns out to be a federal agent conducting an undercover investigation, you’re guilty under 18 USC 111 even if you thought they were a regular person.
The January 6 Context and 2025 Shift
18 USC 111 became one of the most-charged statutes in American history following January 6, 2021. Over 5,000 FBI employees worked on the Capitol riot investigation – the largest criminal probe in U.S. history. By the fourth anniversary, approximately 1,500 people had been charged.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump granted full pardons to everyone convicted of offenses related to the Capitol attack, erasing the convictions of all but 14 of about 1,270 people. The Justice Department then fired more than two dozen prosecutors who worked on January 6 cases. This represents an unprecedented reversal – the statute central to the largest criminal investigation in history suddenly became the basis for investigating the investigators.
For current defendants facing 18 USC 111 charges unrelated to January 6, enforcement continues normally. TSA assault cases, attacks on federal officers during arrests – those prosecutions proceed through federal courts. The statute hasn’t changed.
Defenses and Sentencing Factors
Self-defense is theoretically available if you can show the federal officer used excessive force and you reasonably believed you needed to defend yourself. That’s extremely difficult to win – federal courts give officers wide latitude, and juries are skeptical of defendants who claim they needed to fight back against law enforcement.
Sentencing depends on your criminal history and the specific offense level. Just impeding federal officers generally results in 6-12 months for first offenders. Simple assault with physical contact typically yields 12-18 months. Assault with intent to commit another felony jumps to 33-41 months. If the officer sustained significant injuries or you have prior convictions, the guidelines increase substantially.
Why Federal Prosecution Changes Everything
Federal prosecution under 18 USC 111 means federal court, federal sentencing guidelines, federal prison if convicted. Federal sentences don’t have parole – you serve at least 85% of your sentence. Federal prosecutors have more resources, federal agents conduct more thorough investigations, and conviction rates in federal court run significantly higher than state court.
You’re dealing with assistant U.S. attorneys who handle these cases regularly. They know the statute, they know the defenses, they know the judges. You need defense counsel who understands federal practice – the rules are different, the culture is different, the stakes are higher. At Spodek Law Group, we’ve handled federal cases throughout the country. Our managing partner Todd Spodek is a second-generation criminal defense lawyer with many years of experience in federal court. We understand how federal prosecutors build these cases and what strategies actually work.
Unlike other law firms who prioritize their relationships with prosecutors and judges, we owe loyalty only to you. Federal cases move quickly once charges are filed – you don’t have time to waste. If you’re under investigation or already charged under 18 USC 111, contact us immediately. We’re available 24/7 because federal investigations don’t wait for business hours.