Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today that federal prosecutors charged 56 defendants with illegal reentry into the United States during the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, ending on December 31, 2024. During this same period, more than 50 additional defendants were sentenced for charges relating to or including illegal reentry.
“This effort continues my office’s long-standing commitment to enforcing the laws setting forth requirements for entry into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. “Over the past three fiscal years, we have increased our number of immigration prosecutions by 69%. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and federally prosecute anyone who illegally enters our borders.”
Q1 FY 2025 Case Highlights
United States v. Rodriguez-Acevedo
In October 2024, Juan Rodriguez-Acevedo was sentenced to three years and ten months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after removal following a conviction for committing an aggravated felony. According to court documents, Rodriguez-Acevedo is a native and citizen of Mexico. In 2007, he was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Due to his conviction for an aggravated felony, Rodriguez-Acevedo received a permanent ban from the United States and was deported to Mexico in 2018 after his release from federal prison. In 2019, Rodriguez-Acevedo was encountered by law enforcement in Texas. He had crossed the border illegally and was prosecuted for illegal reentry following his removal after a conviction for commission of an aggravated felony. He was again deported to Mexico in 2021 after his release from federal prison. In March 2024, law enforcement officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Rodriguez-Acevedo during enforcement activities in Lake City. Rodriguez-Acevedo admitted to law enforcement that he had again unlawfully reentered the United States in June 2023.
United States v. German Altamirano-Hernandez
In October 2024, German Altamirano-Hernandez was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. According to court documents, Altamirano-Hernandez is a native and citizen of Mexico who had been granted voluntary removal from the United States 10 times between 1999 and 2002 after it was determined he was illegally in the United States. In 2005, he was encountered by law enforcement in New Mexico and was prosecuted for illegal entry into the United States, then was deported to Mexico later that year. In 2013, he was encountered by law enforcement in Florida and was convicted of illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. He was deported to Mexico in 2015 after his release from federal prison. In 2019, Altamirano-Hernandez was encountered by law enforcement in Arizona, after having crossed the border illegally, and was prosecuted a third time for illegal reentry into the United States. He was again deported to Mexico in 2020 after his release from federal prison. In March 2024, Altamirano-Hernandez was encountered by deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office when they conducted a traffic stop on the car he was driving. During the stop, Altamirano-Hernandez provided deputies with a false name and a fraudulent identification card. During a search of his car, deputies found multiple forms of fraudulent identification. After confirming Altamirano-Hernandez’s identity, he was arrested. Altamirano-Hernandez admitted to law enforcement that he had again unlawfully reentered the United States.
In October 2024, Ramon Ochoa was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after deportation, consecutive to another sentence he is serving in the Florida Department of Corrections. According to court documents, Ochoa is a Mexican citizen who entered the United States illegally in 2008 and again in 2014. He was removed from the United States on both occasions, most recently in May 2014. In 2017, Ochoa again entered the United States without permission from appropriate government officials, and he remained until he was arrested in Polk County in May 2019. United States Customs and Border Protection officials were alerted to the fact that Ochoa was in custody in the Polk County Jail under the name Samuel Santana-Ortuno and was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine. Ochoa admitted to a Border Patrol agent that his true name is Ramon Ochoa and he did not have any documents allowing him to enter the United States. Ochoa was later sentenced in state court to seven years’ imprisonment for his state drug-trafficking offense.
United States v. Hernandez-Casiano
In November 2024, Daniel Hernandez-Casiano was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a deported alien. According to court documents, Hernandez-Casiano was found in the United States on January 9, 2024, after being arrested and convicted on state charges for possession of fentanyl and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. Hernandez-Casiano was previously removed from the United States to Mexico on three separate occasions.
United States v. Ramirez-Ramirez
In December 2024, Gustavo De Jesus Ramirez-Ramirez was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. According to court documents, Ramirez-Ramirez was arrested on November 11, 2022, in Jacksonville after he rappelled from a hole in the ceiling of a business and then drilled through three adjacent business walls and into a jewelry store. He later pleaded guilty in state court to burglary of a dwelling with damage and burglary of a structure. After his arrest, it was also discovered that Ramirez-Ramirez was present in the United States illegally. Ramirez-Ramirez has two previous deportations, one of which followed a prior conviction for illegal reentry into the United States in October 2014.