U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that MARIO FUENTES-VELASQUEZ, age 29, a native of Mexico, pled guilty today to a one-count Indictment charging him with illegal entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, FUENTES-VELASQUEZ was previously removed from the United States on August 29, 2013. FUENTES-VELASQUEZ was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on September 7, 2016, and had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter.
FUENTES-VELASQUEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, as well as a fine of $250,000. U.S. District Court Eldon E. Fallon set sentencing for March 16, 2017.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.