FARGO, N.D. – A Fargo man is convicted in federal court of tampering with a witness in a murder case.
Thirty-one-year-old Shaquiel Mendez conspired to tamper with a federal witness in the investigation of the 2020 murder of Santino Marial after the witness was assaulted and stabbed with a pencil in the Cass County Jail.
Twenty-year-old Daniel Cisse is serving an 11 year sentence for his role in the witness tampering case. 21-year-old Ahmed Hassan pled guility for his role in the case. 31-year-old Jesse Burnett has been indicted for murder in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and conspiracy to tamper with a witness.
“An attack on a witness is an attack on the rule of law,” U.S. Atttorney for North Dakota Mac Schneider said. “This case is a reminder that anyone who conspires to use violence against a federal witness in the District of North Dakota will make themselves a federal defendant. I want to thank our career prosecutors, the trial team, and our partners in federal and local law enforcement for their work to secure a conviction and ensure justice was done in this case.”
