ALIEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL RE-ENTRY
ERNESTO GARCIA-GRANADOS, age 30, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty in federal court today before U. S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt to a one-count indictment charging him with illegal re-entry by a removed alien, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to court documents, on November 22, 2011, GARCIA, an alien who had previously been removed from the United States, was found in the United States, within the Eastern District of Louisiana, without having obtained consent from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
The indictment charging GARCIA with one count of re-entry by a removed alien also included a notice of sentencing enhancement based on GARCIA’s prior aggravated felony conviction. With the enhancement, the single count carries a maximum statutory penalty of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2012 at 9:00 A.M.
The case was investigated by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Robert Weir.
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