MEXICAN CITIZEN INDICTED FOR
ILLEGAL RE-ENTRY INTO UNITED STATES

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on April 7, 2009, MARCIAL RAMIREZ-SILVA, 29, a citizen of Mexico, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Benton, Illinois, with one count of illegal re-entry of an illegal alien. According to the indictment, RAMIREZ-SILVA had previously been removed from the United States pursuant to law on December 13, 2007, through Hidalgo, Texas. It is alleged that RAMIREZ-SILVA was present in the United States on March 12, 2009, without having first obtained the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary for Homeland Security, to reapply for admission to the United States. The violation took place in Effingham County, Illinois.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, each defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

If convicted, RAMIREZ-SILVA faces a potential sentence of not more than 20 years, a $1,000,000 fine, at least 3 years supervised release and deportation.

This case was investigated by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Carr for prosecution.