Federal authorities in Northern Ohio wrapped up a string of immigration enforcement actions this May, resulting in sentences for six individuals and new criminal indictments for four others.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office detailed the separate, unrelated cases on Friday. According to officials, the six people who were sentenced had previously pleaded guilty to violating federal immigration laws. All six will remain in federal custody as they await deportation from the United States.
Most of the sentenced individuals faced charges for illegal reentry after being removed from the country in the past. Mario Gregorio-Arias, a 49-year-old citizen of Guatemala who was located in Norwalk, received a four-month prison sentence. Court records show he had been deported at least four times prior to his latest arrest.
Four others caught in Huron and Erie counties were sentenced to time served for illegal reentry. They include Jeyson Rodriguez-Lanza, 35, and Genry Sanchez-Espinoza, 29, both citizens of Honduras, as well as Candelaria del Rosario Lopez-Bautista, 38, and Cesar Mazariegos-Lopez, 45, who are both from Mexico.
In a slightly different case out of Erie County, 21-year-old Yeixon Brito-Gonzalez of Venezuela was given time served for possessing fraudulent documents. Investigators found him living in Sandusky with counterfeit Social Security and Legal Permanent Resident cards.
Alongside the sentencings, a federal grand jury handed down indictments against four more men. One of the more notable charges involves Victor M. Diaz-Montes De Oca, a 34-year-old from Mexico. He was found in Columbiana County and is accused of trying to sneak six cellphones, 30 vapes, and tobacco to an inmate at the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution. He is currently charged with providing contraband in prison and illegal reentry.
The grand jury also indicted three others for illegal reentry after previous deportations. Miguel Galindo De Jesus, 49, was found in Canton. Miguel Angel Hernandez-Chavez, 33, was located in Bryan, and Anibal Tejada-Estrella, 45, was picked up in Brooklyn Heights. Authorities noted that an indictment is only an allegation, and the four men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The month-long enforcement effort was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol’s Sandusky Bay Station and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cases are being prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America, a national Justice Department initiative aimed at strictly enforcing immigration laws, targeting transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime.
READ: From Deadly Smuggling To Repeat Entries: Texas Feds File 296 Border Cases In A Single Week
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