Ex-ICE agent gets 21 months for lying about chokehold in Corryville apartment

Samuel Saxon, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, received a 21-month prison sentence on Wednesday in Cincinnati. The sentence follows his March guilty plea to one count of lying to a federal law enforcement officer regarding a domestic violence incident.

Saxon, 47, was arrested on December 5, 2025, after neighbors reported a strangulation in the hallway of his Corryville apartment complex. An affidavit details that an independent witness heard a woman screaming while Saxon held a chokehold around her neck and dragged her into their unit. The witness reported hearing additional screams once inside the apartment.

Upon arrival, police observed bruises on the victim's chest consistent with being forcibly grabbed. Hamilton County prosecutors charged Saxon with one count of felonious assault, two counts of strangulation, and two misdemeanors for assault and domestic violence. Although the victim did not cooperate with the initial police response, Saxon was suspended from his role as the assistant special agent in charge for the Cincinnati region.

The federal charge arose from an interview conducted an hour after his December 6 arrest by Cincinnati police and a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General special agent. A federal criminal complaint states Saxon repeatedly lied about his interactions with the victim that day. He claimed he only communicated with her by phone and suggested that any yelling heard by neighbors was the victim screaming at him over the handset.

Prosecutors noted that Saxon had worked for the agency since 2005. Evidence presented at sentencing indicated he frequently failed to report for duty, arrived late, and left early. He submitted false timesheets claiming full-time, in-person work during this period.

The complaint includes video submitted by a witness, recorded shortly after Saxon was seen taking the victim inside. The footage contains sounds consistent with a physical altercation. Saxon's sentence was announced by prosecutors on Thursday, confirming the length of his incarceration for the false statement charge.