ALIEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL RE-ENTRY
JOSE ISMAEL GARCIA-VENTURA, age 37, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty in federal court today before U. S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance to a one-count indictment charging him with illegal re-entry by a removed alien, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to the factual basis, on August 11, 2011, VENTURA, an alien who had previously been removed from the United States, was knowingly and unlawfully found in the United States in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana without the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security having expressly consented to his re-application for admission into the United States.
The indictment charging VENTURA with one count of re-entry by a removed alien also included a notice of sentencing enhancement based on VENTURA’s prior felony conviction. With the enhancement, the single count carries a maximum statutory penalty of ten (10) 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 9:30 A.M.
The case was investigated by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Joe La Rocca.
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