USMS Deputy United States Marshal Indicted for Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations

On March 19, 2025, a Deputy United States Mashal (DUSM) assigned to the Western District of Louisiana (WDLA), was indicted by a federal Grand Jury charging him with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of a record in a federal investigation. Joshua Firmin was indicted in the WDLA. According to the Indictment, Firmin, while acting under color of law as a DUSM, willfully deprived a federal prisoner of the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment by physically assaulting the federal prisoner while the federal prisoner’s hands and feet were restrained in shackles. Firmin then knowingly made a false statement in a USMS Field Operational Report with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the DOJ OIG. The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s Houston Office.