On February 29, 2024, Deputy U.S. Marshal Joshua Firmin was involved in a use-of-force incident involving a federal prisoner at the U.S. Courthouse in Lafayette, Louisiana. The prisoner sustained a very minor injury while Firmin attempted to move him to a different cell.
Federal prosecutors later charged Firmin with violating the prisoner’s civil rights. Following a three-day trial in April 2026, a federal jury convicted him. He was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison.
Firmin is now appealing his convictions. His case raises significant questions concerning the fairness of the trial proceedings, including the court’s exclusion of a defense use-of-force expert who would have addressed standard law enforcement procedures. The defense has also identified other legal and evidentiary rulings made before and during trial as grounds for appellate review.
Joshua Firmin devoted much of his adult life to public service. He served nine years in the Louisiana National Guard, including a deployment to Afghanistan from 2002 to 2003, where he received the Army Achievement Medal for his service at a forward operating base while under attack. His law-enforcement career began with the Louisiana Department of Corrections and continued with the Federal Bureau of Prisons before he joined the U.S. Marshals Service. During his career, he served in specialized assignments that included disturbance-control and aviation-enforcement duties.
LELDF believes that law-enforcement officers accused of crimes arising from actions taken in the course of their duties deserve a vigorous defense and a full and fair opportunity to challenge their convictions. Whatever one’s view of the underlying encounter, the serious legal questions raised by Firmin’s case deserve meaningful appellate review.
That is why LELDF is supporting Joshua Firmin as he fights his convictions on appeal. Your support helps ensure that officers facing life-changing criminal prosecutions have the resources necessary to defend themselves and pursue every available avenue of justice.
Stand with Joshua Firmin. Help LELDF defend those who defend us.
