it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf. Federal prosecutors had initially charged Sosa-Celis and the other man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with assault but dropped the charges after video evidence showed the officer may have lied about the encounter. Castro was suspended from ICE in February while authorities pursued an investigation. The federal charges follow Castro's release from jail last week after Texas' governor refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant to hand him over to Minnesota authorities. The federal investigation into Castro created turmoil inside the Justice Department, with a prosecutor on the case accusing higher-ups of blocking efforts to bring more serious civil rights charges. In an email obtained by ProPublica, the prosecutor told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and others that Castro would be charged only with making false statements over his strongest objections, adding the decision was being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney. A person familiar with the investigation, however, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the civil rights probe is continuing and additional charges could still be brought. The prosecutor, Matthew Evans, has since been fired and the Justice Department is now investigating whether he broke any laws during his handling of the case, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not publicly authorized to discuss ongoing investigations. An automatic email response from Evans' Justice Department account said he was on leave, and other attempts to reach him were not immediately successful. Sosa-Celis' lawyer is pressing for Castro to face stiffer charges, saying in a statement on Thursday that Castro's statements were made to cover up the fact that he shot my client through the door of an occupied house without a self-defense justification. Mr. Sosa Celis wants Mr. Castro to be held fully accountable for his crimes, said the attorney, Robin Wolpert. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota said Thursday that Sosa-Celis also plans to seek damages from the federal government. --- Richer reported from Washington.