Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Luis Castro Mayancela, 24, a citizen of Ecuador, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to re-entry after prior removal, and was sentenced to time served. Mayancela was then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that in April 2019, Mayancela, who had no legal status in the United States, was arrested and detained by United States Border Patrol agents in Palo Pinto County, Texas. In December 2019, he was physically removed from the United States. On March 26, 2025, Mayancela was found in Genesee County. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Department of Homeland Security agents and did not have any documents allowing him to be legally present in the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Emergency Removal Operations, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Steven Kurzdorfer.
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