Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Celso Diaz-Martinez, age 52, of Mexico of Illegal Reentry After Deportation following a day-long jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on February 18, 2025.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Diaz-Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024.
Evidence at trial established that Diaz-Martinez is not a U.S. citizen and had been deported from the United States on four prior occasions. Diaz-Martinez was found in Meade County, South Dakota, in November of 2024. He had not obtained consent for re-entry into the United States from the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Lindrooth and Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.