Warning: This report contains details of sexual assault
A Mexican national pled guilty last week in Dakota County District Court to raping a female co-worker at an Eagan, Minn., construction job site in 2021.
Juan Diego Medina Cisneros, now 32, was charged by warrant over a year later in July 2022, but evaded capture until June 2024, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas, arrested him on the warrant.
The victim came forward to St. Paul police in January 2022, who later determined that the incident had taken place in Eagan, and the case was transferred to Eagan PD in March of that year.
Charges say the victim was working as a cleaner in a bathroom when Medina Cisneros approached her from behind. He proceeded to forcefully pull her pants down and rape her in the shower while the victim protested. Medina Cisneros then threatened the victim with harm if she told anyone, and said that no one would believe her.
Minnesota Reformer reported on the incident in 2022 after the victim had filed a complaint with the state Department of Human Rights over being fired following the assault. The victim was working for a subcontractor on the Viking Lakes project, which was a Wilf family development. The subcontractor she had been hired by called the incident consensual and a relationship that had soured, after she reported it to a supervisor. The subcontractor accused the victim of creating a hostile workplace in a response letter to state investigators.
Medina Cisneros was eventually charged with counts of third- and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct but had reportedly fled back to Mexico.
CBP released a statement after the capture of Medina Cisneros last June saying that a CBP officer referred Medina Cisneros for a secondary inspection during his attempt to cross at the Brownsville Port of Entry. A biometric and federal law enforcement database verified his identity and discovered that he was the subject of an outstanding felony arrest warrant for criminal sexual conduct in Minnesota. Medina Cisneros was turned over to local police and was extradited to Minnesota.
Court records show that Medina Cisneros was apparently supplied cash bail after being booked into Dakota County Jail in July and was released from custody. The record shows that IRS Form 8300 was filed, which indicates that the recipient received cash funds from a third party. IRS Form 8300 has been filed in several other notable cases where the defendant has been bailed out by the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Records show that a cash bail amount of $100,000 was posted, but records indicating who supplied the bail weren’t immediately available.
Further court records show that Medina Cisneros was offered a plea deal, which includes a 36-month prison sentence in a downward departure from sentencing guidelines, in exchange for a guilty plea to third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The sentencing guidelines normally call for a sentence of between 41 and 57 months. The plea agreement also calls for 10 years of supervision following the prison sentence. There is nothing in the court record addressing Medina Cisneros’ immigration status in the U.S.
Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, several Minnesota elected officials have vowed to defy Trump’s order for mass deportations of criminal and other illegal aliens, or have otherwise said they will not assist with deportation efforts.
Medina Cisneros is not currently in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2025.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
