Leury Mojica has been sentenced to 108 months in prison for violent crimes committed while incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon in federal court in Brooklyn.
Mojica, age 22 and from the Bronx, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to assaulting a federal correction officer. As part of his plea agreement, he also admitted to attempting to murder another inmate and agreed that this conduct should be considered during sentencing.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia announced the sentence. Nocella stated, “Today’s sentence makes clear that there are serious consequences for inmates who endanger the safety and security of the Metropolitan Detention Center by committing acts of violence against correction officers and other inmates. Holding incarcerated individuals accountable for their conduct will deter other inmates from engaging in crimes and dangerous conduct in the jail.”
Nocella also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for assisting with the investigation.
Raia commented on Mojica’s actions: “Leury Mojica physically restrained a fellow inmate to allow others to commence a brutal knife attack and continued his aggressive outbursts with an unprovoked assault against a correction officer. Mojica’s combative streak recklessly endangered the lives of other inmates and correction officers. May today’s sentencing deter any detainee from grossly violating law and order in our federal detention centers through violent misconduct.”
Court records show that Mojica was detained at MDC-Brooklyn pending trial after being arraigned on robbery charges in February 2022. On February 28, 2023, he participated with five other inmates in an attempt to kill another inmate using a knife; Mojica restrained the victim while another stabbed him, resulting in multiple injuries including lacerations and puncture wounds to various parts of the victim’s body.
Later, on August 24, 2024, while still at MDC-Brooklyn, Mojica punched a federal correction officer after being asked if he wanted fruit with his breakfast; this resulted in a contusion to the officer’s face.
Assistant United States Attorney David Berman is overseeing prosecution of this case.
The case is filed under E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-13 (CBA).
