Executive Summary
- Prosecution Jeopardy: An armed robbery case against Amontre Easton is stalled because ICE refuses to release the victim, Yunior Sosa Ordonez, to testify.
- Witness Status: Ordonez, a Cuban refugee with U-visa certification as a crime victim, has been detained by ICE since October following a traffic stop.
- Legal Impasse: Defense attorneys describe a "jurisdictional vacuum" where both ICE and immigration courts disclaim authority to release the witness for the trial.
- Suspect History: The accused, Easton, has a prior conviction for facilitation of murder and faces additional charges for assaulting inmates.
Prosecutors in Jefferson County, Kentucky, warned this week that a significant armed robbery case is in jeopardy of dismissal because the victim and sole eyewitness is being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to court proceedings on Wednesday, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office stated that federal authorities have refused to temporarily release Yunior Sosa Ordonez, a Cuban refugee and Lyft driver, to testify against his alleged attacker.
The criminal charges stem from an incident in May 2024 in the Wyandotte neighborhood of Louisville. According to the arrest citation, Ordonez was working as a Lyft driver when he picked up the suspect, Amontre Easton. Investigators allege that Easton produced a firearm, discharged two rounds near the driver’s head, and forced Ordonez out of the vehicle before stealing it. Easton was subsequently arrested and charged with robbery and wanton endangerment.
Proceedings against Easton have now halted due to the unavailability of Ordonez, who has been in ICE custody for four months. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Gillian Urbaniak told the court that Ordonez’s testimony is "material, necessary, and irreplaceable" for the prosecution. Ordonez was detained by ICE in October following a traffic stop by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) regarding a license plate violation, which revealed an outstanding bench warrant for a separate traffic matter.
Legal filings obtained by WLKY indicate that Ordonez, who has lived in Louisville since 2021 with lawful employment authorization, has no criminal record beyond traffic offenses. Following the carjacking, LMPD executed a U-visa certification, confirming Ordonez was a victim of a serious felony and was cooperating with law enforcement. Despite this, and a letter from the prosecutor urging his release for trial, he remains in federal detention.
Matthew Conway, the attorney representing Ordonez, described the situation in court filings as a "jurisdictional vacuum." Conway noted that ICE directed counsel to immigration court to request release, while the immigration court referred the matter back to ICE. "The result is continued confinement that no adjudicator will take responsibility for," Conway wrote. Former Jefferson District Court Judge David Holton noted that while federal immigration judges have the authority to make a witness available, the current bureaucratic impasse suggests the charges against Easton could be dismissed for lack of evidence.
While Ordonez remains in custody, the accused, Easton, has a documented criminal history. Court records show Easton pleaded guilty in 2022 to facilitation of murder regarding the 2020 shooting death of a teenager at a bus stop. He also faces charges related to assaulting inmates while incarcerated over the past year.
Procedural & Jurisdictional Implications
The impasse in this case highlights a critical friction point between federal immigration enforcement and state-level criminal justice administration. When a complaining witness is detained by federal authorities, local prosecutors are often left without the procedural leverage to secure testimony, potentially leading to the release of violent felony suspects. This scenario underscores the complexities surrounding U-visa certifications, which are designed to protect immigrant crime victims specifically to ensure their availability for prosecution, yet do not automatically supersede federal detention protocols. The outcome of the pending motions to depose the witness or secure his release will likely serve as a local precedent for handling similar jurisdictional conflicts.
It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
