Three Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Immigration Offenses
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that three foreign nationals, all citizens of Mexico, have been sentenced to time served for the felony offense of Illegal Re-Entry into the United States After Deportation.
Sentenced in United States District Court in East St. Louis, on January 5, 2012, were:
1) Catalina Pliego-Benitez, 32, sentenced to 61 days. Pliego-Benitez was previously deported on March 1, 2000. According to evidence presented at her change of plea hearing, Pliego-Benitez was arrested by St. Clair Deputy Sheriffs on November 6, 2011 in Belleville.
2) Emmanuel Huerta-Aguilar, 31, sentenced to 86 days. Huerta-Aguilar was previously deported on March 29, 2006; April 26, 2007 and March 7, 2011. According to evidence presented at his change of plea hearing, Huerta-Aguilar was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on September 17, 2011 in Granite City.
3) Abel Solano-Lazaro, 30, sentenced to 83 days. Solano-Lazaro was previously deported on April 9, 2004. According to evidence presented at his change of plea hearing, Solano-Lazaro was detained by O’Fallon police officers on October 15, 2011 on I-55.
All three of the defendants sentenced on January 5, 2012, are in ICE custody awaiting deportation.
The investigation which resulted in these defendants’ convictions and sentences was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Garrison.
