Convicted drug dealer gets 10 years in prison after beating girlfriend unconscious in Dallas area

A man convicted of drug dealing in Puerto Rico is headed to federal prison after brutally beating his domestic partner in Grand Prairie, Texas, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Grand Prairie is around 13.5 miles from Dallas.

Jose Negron-Cardona, 49, was convicted in 2008 in the District of Puerto Rico of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics and brandishing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said in a news release Thursday.

A U.S. district judge in Puerto Rico sentenced Negron-Cardona to 17 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Officials noted in the news release that federal offenders can face a period of post-conviction supervision that can include conditions such as abstaining from illicit drug use and meeting with a probation officer. Cardona's conditions included a prohibition against violating federal, state or local laws, the news release said.

After his federal prison sentence, Cardona was released and began his supervised release May 27, 2020.

Authorities said in the news release that on June 5, 2024, while living in Grand Prairie, Cardona viciously assaulted a domestic partner.

Shortly afterward, the U.S. Probation Office filed a petition to revoke his supervised release.

During a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors argued that Cardona should be sent back to prison and called the victim to the stand to testify.

She testified that Cardona viciously assaulted her, wouldn't let her call 911, and repeatedly hit her in the face until she lost consciousness.

U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade found that Cardona had committed assault/family violence, which is a state offense that violated his conditions of supervision, and revoked his supervised release. The judge then sentenced Cardona to an additional 10 years in federal prison.

"If this defendant thought he could savagely beat a woman without repercussion, he was sorely mistaken. While we take all violations of supervised release seriously, we are especially concerned by instances of domestic violence. For the next decade, his victim will be able to sleep soundly at night knowing he is once again behind bars," Simonton said.

The Grand Prairie Police Department investigated the assault, with help from the U.S. Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Winters and Ted Hocter argued for revocation and imprisonment.