Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: Mexico citizen pleads guilty to reentering the United States illegally for a sixth time
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a citizen of Mexico pleaded guilty last week to reentering the country illegally after having previously been removed from the United States on five separate occasions.
Hector Gerardo Luna-Deleon, 28, of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of reentry of a removed alien. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, Lake Charles police encountered Luna-Deleon on November 10, 2017 following a traffic stop. Officers transported Luna-Deleon to the local U.S. Border Patrol station in Lake Charles, where it was discovered that Luna-Deleon had previously been removed from the United States on five separate occasions. Officers also discovered that Luna-Deleon had previously been arrested and found guilty in Texas in 2014 for driving while intoxicated. Luna-Deleon’s previous removals occurred on January 12, 2015; April 28, 2016; May 17, 2016; June 23, 2016; and July 18, 2016. The court set sentencing for April 17, 2018.
Customs and Border Protection and Lake Charles Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy is prosecuting the case.