Fargo Man Convicted by Jury for Witness Tampering Conspiracy in Murder

FARGO - United States Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota, announced that Shaquiel Anthony Mendez, age 31, was convicted at trial of Conspiracy to Tamper with a Witness after a four-day jury trial held before Chief District Court Judge Peter D. Welte in Fargo. Mendez is scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2025.

Mendez was convicted for his role in conspiring to tamper with a federal witness after the witness was assaulted and stabbed with a pencil in the Cass County jail. This witness tampering case is related to the investigation into the murder of Santino Marial which occurred on August 28, 2020, in Fargo.

"An attack on a witness is an attack on the rule of law," 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."

Daniel Saydee Cisse, age 20, is currently serving an eleven-year sentence for his role in the witness tampering conspiracy. Ahmed Abdi Hassan, age 21, has pled guilty for his role in the witness tampering conspiracy and is currently scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2025.

Jesse James Burnett, age 31, has been indicted for Murder in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime and Conspiracy to Tamper with a Witness and is scheduled for trial on April 1, 2025.

This case is being investigated by Fargo Police Department, Cass County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE).

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher C. Myers, Matthew Kopp, and Jacob Rodenbiker.

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