(Image Credit: Justice.Gov)
San Diego, California – A violent attack inside downtown San Diego’s federal jail just added years to the sentences of two inmates—both already serving time for drug-related crimes.
Jonathan Barba and Abraham Gomez-Rodriguez were sentenced in federal court today to 51 months and 37 months, respectively, after authorities say they assaulted and stabbed a fellow inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) on orders from a high-ranking Mexican Mafia associate.
According to court records, the attack happened on March 27, 2024. Barba crept up behind the victim and repeatedly stabbed him with a makeshift metal shank while Gomez-Rodriguez held the victim’s arms, preventing him from escaping or fighting back. When the victim managed to break free and run, Gomez-Rodriguez chased him down and continued the assault.
The victim suffered stab wounds to the abdomen, neck, head, and eye area—one of which came dangerously close to his eyeball. Bloodied and battered, he was rushed to the hospital with severe lacerations and bruises.
And the reason for the attack? Court documents reveal that after the brutal beating, Barba and Gomez-Rodriguez told the victim they did it to gain favor with an inmate known as “Alex,” a so-called “shot caller” for the notorious prison gang, the Mexican Mafia.
This wasn’t Barba’s first brush with violence. His rap sheet includes a 2014 conviction for first-degree domestic battery in Nevada, which earned him a short jail stint and community service. In 2022, he was convicted of importing meth and fentanyl into the U.S. and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison—time he was already serving when he launched the attack inside MCC.
Gomez-Rodriguez also has a history tied to the drug trade. In 2022, he was convicted of possession with intent to distribute meth and heroin and sentenced to 26 months in federal prison. Now, with these new convictions, both men will be serving even longer sentences, with their new prison time added on top of their existing ones.
“Violence has no place in our correctional facilities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “We are fully committed to taking every legal action available to protect the safety and well-being of all inmates and to hold violent criminals accountable.”
Authorities credited the FBI’s San Diego Violent Crime Task Force and MCC’s Special Investigations Unit for tracking down the attackers and ensuring justice was served.
For Barba and Gomez-Rodriguez, what may have seemed like a power move inside the prison hierarchy just backfired—big time. Now, they’ll have even more years behind bars to think about whether it was worth it.
