Bowling Green and Paducah, KY – Federal grand juries in Bowling Green and Paducah, Kentucky, returned indictments on August 11 and 12, 2026, charging ten illegal aliens with federal charges. The charges included illegal reentry after deportation or removal, possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, and use of a false passport. U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, and Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.According to the indictments:Juan Jose Ochoa-Avila, age 45, a citizen of Honduras, was charged in Paducah with possession of a firearm by an illegal alien and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents and testimony, Ochoa-Avila purchased and possessed a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun between March and June of 2026 in Graves County, Kentucky. The Mayfield Police Department recovered the firearm from Ochoa-Avila’s residence in connection with another investigation. Ochoa-Avila left Kentucky and was arrested in South Carolina after learning of the investigation. Court records show that Ochoa-Avila was convicted of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien in 2008 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. After his conviction, he was deported to Honduras. Ochoa-Avila unlawfully returned to the United States and, in 2011, was convicted of Illegal Reentry of a Deported Alien in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Ochoa-Avila was again deported from the United States in 2015. Court records also show that Ochoa-Avila is wanted on a Murder warrant out of Honduras issued in 2019 and is the subject of an Interpol red notice. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. This case is being investigated by ATF, HSI, and the Mayfield Police Department, with assistance from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina. Noel Carbajal-Panfilo, age 52, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Bowling Green with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and reentry after deportation or removal. On or about May 2, 2026, Carbajal-Panfilo was an alien found in the in United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about February 19, 2003, and July 17, 2001. Additionally, Carbajal-Panfilo possessed seven firearms as an illegal alien. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI.Nicolas Hernandez-Vargas, age 48, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Bowling Green with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and reentry after deportation or removal. On or about July 30, 2026, Hernandez-Vargas was an alien found in the in United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about April 3, 2009, and August 6, 2015. Additionally, Hernandez-Vargas possessed a shotgun as an illegal alien. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison. This case is being investigated by HSI and ICE-ERO.Cesar Yoc-Coronado, age 29, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged in Bowling Green with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about July 18, 2026, Yoc-Coronado was an alien found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about August 23, 2017, and September 10, 2019. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. This case is being investigated by ICE-ERO.Misael Hernandez Romero, age 35, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in Paducah with reentry after deportation or removal…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice