JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — You can’t make this up.
A 41-year-old mother of four and self-proclaimed “activist” who thought she’d play hero by harassing cops during an ICE operation is now staring down two decades in federal prison after pleading guilty to slugging a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and booting an immigration officer.
Jennifer Susan Cruz copped to the federal charge of assaulting officers during an immigration enforcement operation on Wednesday in Jacksonville federal court. She could get up to 20 years behind bars and a whopping $250,000 fine when sentenced.
It all went down Jan. 13 on Beach Boulevard near a Mexican grocery store. Cruz rolled up filming the ICE-assisted traffic stop on her phone, while driving, naturally, and started tailgating and yelling at officers like she was live-streaming her big moment.
When a trooper pulled her over for the phone stunt and discovered her license was suspended, things got ugly fast. Cruz refused to hand over her keys, reportedly telling the trooper she was “ready to fight.”Big mistake.
As the trooper reached for the keys, Cruz hauled off and punched the female officer square in the face, busting up her nose and fingers, according to court docs. She kept resisting as officers swarmed her, trying to kick the same trooper she’d just decked and nailing an ICE agent too.
Bodycam footage shows the chaotic takedown, with Cruz getting bounced off the hood and finally stuffed into a patrol car. Videos of the brawl went viral, with Florida AG James Uthmeier and others sharing the highlights.
Her lawyer previously painted her as “overwhelmed” by the stresses of motherhood and running a small business, calling her “stoic” in the face of it all. After the plea, Cruz had no comment as she left court.
Cruz was hit with a laundry list of state charges too, battery on officers, resisting with violence, driving on a suspended license, but the feds stepped in for the big one.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. A first-time offender with four kids at home decided filming and fighting cops during an immigration bust was the move. Now her business and family are on hold while she waits to hear just how long Uncle Sam plans to keep her. Florida’s cracking down on illegal immigration, and this “activist” just learned the hard way that assaulting law enforcement isn’t a protected First Amendment activity. Sentencing is pending. Don’t expect much sympathy from the judge.
