November 3, 2009

MEXICAN NATIONAL RICARDO GONZALEZ IMPRISONED AGAIN FOR BEING FOUND IN UNITED STATES AFTER DEPORTATION

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Ricardo Gonzalez, 33, a Mexican citizen, was sentenced on November 2, 2009 in United States District Court to 24 months of imprisonment for violating conditions of his federal supervised release.

In 2005, Chief U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III sentenced Gonzalez to 63 months of imprisonment following Gonzalez’ guilty plea to a charge that he was unlawfully present in the United States. In 2003, Gonzalez had been arrested in South Burlington and charged with aggravated sexual assault. Authorities quickly learned that Gonzalez had a lengthy criminal record, including a conviction for a sexual offense involving a child under 16, and that he had also been deported four times. In addition to state criminal charges, Gonzalez was prosecuted in federal court for being found in the United States after having been deported.

Gonzalez completed his federal prison sentence in early 2009 and began a three-year term of supervised release. He was deported to Mexico a few days after being released from prison. One condition of his supervised release was that Gonzalez not enter the United States without immigration approval. In fact, however, less than two months after his deportation, Gonzalez was arrested in California on a new criminal charge. Shortly thereafter, Gonzalez was taken into federal custody by U.S. Marshals and charged with violating his supervised release. In court today, Gonzalez admitted to the violation and was sent back to prison for an additional 24 months. He will again be deported following service of his sentence.

Gonzalez is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Elizabeth Mann. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.