Prosecutor files groundbreaking charges against ICE agent
They're the first state charges brought against a federal officer during the Trump era.
This is exactly the type of case the Trump administration wanted to prevent, deserving probing and contextualized coverage with newsmakers in the know.
All Rise News has you covered.
For several months, Trump’s Department of Justice has tried to threaten local prosecutors to prevent them from bringing criminal cases against federal agents for crimes connected to immigration raids in U.S. cities.
On Thursday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty threw down the gauntlet and made clear that she wouldn’t be intimidated, unveiling the first criminal case filed against an ICE agent during Trump’s second term.
‘Crazy person driving down the road’
ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan, Jr., 35, stands accused of pointing a gun at two motorists in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors say that the incident took place at the interchange of Minnesota State Highway 62 and I-35W in Minneapolis on the afternoon of Feb. 5, 2026. As cars lined up to merge, one of the victims saw Morgan approaching from behind on the right shoulder in a black Ford Expedition, according to court papers.
The passengers told authorities that they didn’t know Morgan was a federal agent, as there were no markings on his vehicle or clothing to indicate that. Believing that Morgan was trying to illegally bypass traffic, the driver acknowledged trying to “cut him off a little bit.” Prosecutors say that’s when Morgan pointed a gun at the car, and the passengers called for help.
“This particular case came to us through the Minnesota State Patrol,” Moriarty told All Rise News in a video interview. “They respond to incidents on our highways, and so they received a 911 call from the occupants of the car who had been threatened by Mr. Morgan.”
One of the victims told investigators that she thought Morgan was a “crazy person driving down the road aiming guns at people, ... the type of individual that should [not] be out there but they are,” according to a statement of probable cause.
Morgan faces two felony counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, each carrying the maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
There is an active, nationwide warrant for his apprehension, a measure that Moriarty said will make life difficult for him until he surrenders.
“I do want to make it clear, it is very hard to live an ordinary life with an active felony warrant out for you,” she said, noting that a background check or a speeding stop could lead to his arrest.
‘Transparency and Accountability Project’
The first local prosecutor to test her power to hold federal agents criminally accountable, Moriarty has plenty of high-profile matters on her plate.
She has been pursuing homicide investigations into federal agents who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as a separate investigation into the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, who survived being shot in the leg. The government refused to cooperate with any of these investigations, leading Moriarty to submit a so-called Touhy demand for the requested information.
When Trump’s Justice Department denied or failed to respond to those requests, Moriarty responded with a federal lawsuit that remains pending. She said that she has not heard from the federal government since charges were announced against Morgan.
Beyond the newly filed criminal case, Moriarty revealed that she has been pursuing more than a dozen other investigations since announcing her office’s Transparency and Accountability Project last month. One of the investigations is looking into the former face of Operation Metro Surge: ex-Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who was seen throwing a gas canister into a crowd of protesters.
Moriarty said that her office has interviewed more than 50 witnesses in connection with 17 investigations.
“So we continue to do investigation on those cases,” she said.
In October, then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche threatened local authorities in California with prosecution if they bring criminal cases against federal agents, calling any such investigations “illegal and futile.” The threats seem to have failed across the country. California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois now have online portals to collect evidence of crimes committed by federal agents.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the statement of probable cause against Morgan here.
Look out for my full interview with Attorney Moriarty soon on Legal AF, as well as a separate conversation with California Attorney General Rob Bonta about his recent antitrust victory against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
it takes the first brave action to encourage many others
Great report.