INDIANAPOLIS- Six illegal immigrants, all convicted felons, have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry in the Southern District of Indiana. The prosecutions, which involved defendants arrested in Bartholomew, Hamilton, Henry, and Marion counties, stemmed from separate investigations. Each case was handled independently.DefendantSentencePrior RemovalsPrevious ConvictionsFrancisco Cervantes-Venegas, 36, of Mexico4 years, 9 months’ imprisonment2 years of supervised releaseJanuary 2015 & April 20172010Intentionally Operating a Motor Vehicle without Ever Receiving a License 2013Intentionally Operating a Motor Vehicle without Ever Receiving a License 2014Criminal Confinement of a Victim Under 14 (Vehicle Used, Bodily Injury); Domestic Battery Committed in the Presence of a Child Under 16.2022Domestic Battery; Criminal Confinement with bodily injury; Strangulation; Sexual Battery by force or Imminent ThreatGerman Lazo Mendez, 36, of Honduras4 years, 3 months’ imprisonment2 years of supervised releaseSeptember 2015 &May 2019Illegal Reentry; Armed Robbey; & Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury.Giovani Ramirez-Soto, 33, of Mexico2.5 years’ imprisonment2 years of supervised releaseApril 2013 & September 2020Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 1 Kilogram or more of Heroin and 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine; Illegal Reentry.Pending charges in Marion County: Operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license and leaving the scene of an accident.Bonifacio Ortiz-Pena, 40, of Mexico1.5 years’ imprisonment2 years of supervised releaseJune 2005,February 2020, & March 2020Illegal Reentry; Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person; Operating a Vehicle While IntoxicatedNelgio Tovias DeLeon-Perez, 46, of Mexico1 year, 2 months’ imprisonment3 years of supervised releaseApril 2008 & April 2014Transportation of Illegal Aliens and Aiding and Abetting; Illegal Reentry (x2); Intentionally Operating a Vehicle Without Ever Receiving a LicenseMauricio Toto-Xolo, 32, of MexicoTime Served (11 months)November 2011 & March 2016Illegal ReentryAt the time the defendants entered their guilty pleas, they acknowledged that upon completion of their sentence, they will be subject to removal from the United States. Conditions of supervision require the defendants to surrender to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon release from federal custody.“Violent criminal aliens who repeatedly violate our immigration laws and endanger our communities must face real consequences,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Through Operation Take Back America, we are unleashing the full force of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens and ensure that those who threaten our security face swift and decisive justice.”The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judges Matthew P. Brookman, Jane Magnus-Stinson, and Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Eakman, Carolyn Haney, MaryAnn Mindrum, and Meredith Wood, who prosecuted these cases.These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)###
Source: U.S. Department of Justice