Former Cincinnati ICE agent sentenced for lying to federal agents about abusing girlfriend

A former Cincinnati ICE agent was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty back in March to one count of lying to a federal law enforcement officer, prosecutors told WCPO.

47-year-old Samuel Saxon will serve 21 months in prison for lying to federal agents about violently abusing his girlfriend.

Saxon was arrested on domestic violence charges in Dec. 2025 after he was accused of putting his significant other in a chokehold, "causing visible injuries on her neck," in the hallway of their Corryville apartment complex, according to an affidavit.

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The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office said Saxon was charged with one count of felonious assault, two counts of strangulation and two misdemeanors, assault and domestic violence. Later that month, Saxon was charged with one count of making a false statement or representation to an agency or officer of the United States.

Officers said they responded to a reported strangulation at the apartment complex Dec. 5, but the woman allegedly choked did not cooperate with police.

According to the prosecutor's office, an independent witness told police she heard a woman screaming in the hallway of her apartment building and a man with a chokehold around the woman's neck, dragging her into an apartment. The witness said she heard more screaming in the apartment.

The prosecutor's office said when police arrived, they saw bruises on the woman's chest that are consistent with being forcibly grabbed by the chest and neck.

According to the prosecutor's office, Saxon was the assistant special agent in charge of ICE for the Cincinnati region but was suspended from the role. In an update shared with WCPO, prosecutors noted that Saxon had worked for the agency since 2005.

"Evidence presented at sentencing showed that he also commonly failed to report for duty, or showed up late and then left early, and submitted false timesheets claiming full-time, in-person work," prosecutors told WCPO on Thursday.

The additional charge stemmed from an interview conducted by Cincinnati police and a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General with Saxon an hour after his arrest on Dec. 6.

A federal criminal complaint alleges Saxon "repeatedly lied" to the federal agent during the interview about "whether he had interacted with the victim in person around the time the neighbor called 911, or at any time that day."

Saxon told law enforcement during the interview, according to the complaint, that he had only communicated with the victim over the phone that day and that, "if neighbors heard yelling, that must have been the victim screaming at him over the phone."

The complaint goes on to detail videos submitted to law enforcement by a witness, who said it was recorded shortly after Saxon was seen taking the victim inside their apartment. Sounds consistent with those of a physical altercation can be heard in the video, according to the complaint.