Bulgarian National Admits Assaulting ICE Deportation Officer

CAMDEN, N.J. - A Bulgarian national today admitted assaulting a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Vasil Petrov, 40, of Bulgaria, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of assaulting a federal officer and inflicting bodily injury.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Dec. 27, 2023, Petrov was in the lawful custody of ICE at an ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, pending removal from the United States. While being processed for removal, Petrov struck the deportation officer in the chin with a closed fist. As a result of Petrov's assault, the deportation officer sustained bodily injury, including a laceration on his chin that required liquid stitches.

The charge to which Petrov pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chana Y. Zuckier of the OCDETF Unit in Newark.