Two Men Plead Guilty to Assaulting Correctional Officer at United States Penitentiary Atwater

FRESNO, Calif. - Daniel Higgins, 39, of Morro Bay, California, and Austin Noblitt, 35, of Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty today to Assault on a Federal Officer or Employee in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a) and (b), United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Higgins and Noblitt assaulted a Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer at United States Penitentiary (USP) Atwater in Merced County. As a result of the assault, the Correctional Officer suffered multiple lacerations to the face and was transported to the local hospital for treatment.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Chan Hee Chu and Jeffrey A. Spivak are prosecuting the case.

Higgins and Noblitt are scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, 2024. Higgins and Noblitt face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.