Miguel Mora Nunez
Introduction
Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez is a 22-year-old Dominican national sentenced on October 5, 2026 to 15 years β 180 months, the statutory maximum β in federal prison for possession of ammunition as an illegal alien in connection with the July 19, 2025 shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in Fort Washington Park, Manhattan. He pleaded guilty to the federal count in May 2026 and still faces 25 years-to-life on state attempted-murder charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Background Information
According to the Justice Department, Mora Nunez entered the United States illegally after crossing the Arizona border in April 2023, was in the country unlawfully, and was subject to an order of removal. Police sources told the New York Post he had compiled arrests for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman and threatening another migrant with a machete during his time in the country β allegations, not convictions.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced. Mora Nunez pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing ammunition as an illegal alien; the underlying conduct was adjudicated. He has not been tried on the state attempted-murder charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
At about 11:50 p.m. on July 19, 2025, prosecutors said, Mora Nunez shot an off-duty CBP officer, identified in court records and news reports as Joshua Sinclair, in the face and right arm after approaching him as he sat on the rocks in Fort Washington Park with a female companion, just after midnight and beneath the George Washington Bridge. Prosecutors said he had stolen another woman’s cellphone minutes earlier and that the shooting was part of what authorities called a “violent robbery spree.” Sinclair returned fire, hitting his attacker twice, and Mora Nunez fled on a motorbike driven by Christhian Aybar-Berroa, a fellow Dominican national who was separately sentenced to 151 months β 12 years and seven months β for his role and who later discussed discarding his bloody clothes with a relative of Mora Nunez, according to the Justice Department.
Mora Nunez pleaded guilty on May 4, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska to one count of possession of ammunition as an illegal alien, a count carrying a 15-year maximum. At the October 5, 2026 sentencing, in a courtroom packed with Border Patrol agents, Preska imposed the maximum and said the sentence was needed “to send a message to people who come to the US to commit crimes.” She noted prosecutors’ claim that he had bragged about his charges to other inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, saying “Nothing instills any confidence that he has learned to respect the law, and the sentence should reflect that.” Mora Nunez apologized in written remarks read in Spanish, saying he had been separated from his young daughter and wished he could go back in time. Both men were also sentenced to three years of supervised release and, having pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition as illegal aliens, face deportation after their terms, according to the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The sentencing drew statements from across the law-enforcement response. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said the sentences “reflect our Office’s commitment to removing violent criminals from our streets,” and HSI’s acting special agent in charge Pete Gizas called the shooting a “cold-blooded act of violence [that] nearly cost a heroic officer his life.” Dozens of agents attended the hearing, and prosecutors said Sinclair remains unable to return to work 14 months after the attack, still recovering and undergoing facial surgeries.
Current Status
Mora Nunez, 22, is serving a 180-month federal sentence with three years of supervised release to follow, and is subject to an order of removal from the United States. The state attempted-murder case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office remains pending β he and Aybar-Berroa are due back in state court in November β where he faces 25 years-to-life if convicted.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A 22-year-old with a maximum-exposure federal case now has the statutory maximum on his record, a supervised-release term that will follow any deportation, and a pending state case that could add decades. The judge’s stated reason β deterring others who “come to the US to commit crimes” β made his sentence an explicit example, and his apology, read in his native Spanish while the officer he shot watched from the gallery, did not move her.
Sources
- *U.S. Department of Justice (SDNY), “Two Dominican Republic Nationals Sentenced To 180 Months And 151 Months In Prison For Possession Of Ammunition By An Illegal Alien In Connection With The Shooting Of An Off-Duty CBP Officer,” October 5, 2026 β source
- *U.S. Department of Justice (SDNY), “Dominican Republic National Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Ammunition By An Illegal Alien In Connection With Shooting Of Off-Duty Federal CBP Officer,” May 4, 2026 β source
- *New York Post, “Illegal immigrant gets 15 years for shooting off-duty border cop in NYC robbery,” October 5, 2026 β source
- *Gothamist, “Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison,” October 5, 2026 β source
- *CBS News New York, “2 face sentencing on fed charges in shooting off-duty CBP officer,” October 5, 2026 β source