Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MINNEAPOLIS – Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick announced several indictments bringing illegal reentry charges against defendants who were previously convicted of serious and dangerous felonies, including convictions for child molestation and criminal sexual conduct.
A federal grand jury returned indictments on the following individuals:
- Luis Gerardo Gomez-Esteban a.k.a. Luis Gerardo Gomez-Esteban, 35, for being in the United States after removal from the country on May 8, 2019, following his conviction for several child molestation charges in Thurston County, Washington. Gomez-Esteban also failed to register as a sex offender upon his return to the U.S.
- Jose Alfredo Ojeda-Garcia, 33, for being in the United States after his conviction on criminal sexual conduct in Faribault County, Minnesota. Ojeda-Garcia was removed three times on April 23, 2012, May 26, 2021, and January 29, 2022.
- Sotero Ortiz-Sanchez, 37, was found in the United States after his conviction for attempted burglary in Lancaster County, Nebraska, and had been initially removed on January 28, 2009.
All of these cases are the result of investigations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.