News and Press Releases
Prosecutions continue in illegal entry cases involving those with prior criminal records
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS – In the District of Minnesota, separate charges have been filed against two Mexican nationals who allegedly entered the United States illegally after being deported as criminals. Earlier today in federal court, two individuals were charged with illegal re-entry after deportation.
Ricardo Ledesma-Rios, age 39, was charged in the first case. His indictment alleges that on June 8, 2012, he was found in the U.S. illegally after having been previously deported. His deportation followed a 2000 Oregon conviction for first-degree attempted sexual abuse. On June 8, 2012, while serving a sentence in the Stearns County jail for domestic assault, he was identified as an illegal alien with a criminal record. That identification was made through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE”) Criminal Alien Program (“CAP”). The goal of that program is to locate criminal aliens incarcerated in federal and state prisons, as well as in local jails, and prevent them from being released into society by having them federally prosecuted for illegally re-entering the U.S.
If convicted of the federal charge now levied against him, Ledesma-Rios faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This federal case is the result of an
investigation by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ICE ERO”). It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin P. Johnson.
In the second case, Miguel Angel Renteria-Garcia, age 39, was charged with illegally entering the U.S. following deportation. His indictment alleges that on July 5, 2012, he was found in the U.S. after having been previously deported in 1996, following California convictions for possession of a controlled substance while armed and possession with intent to sell a controlled substance. On July 5, 2012, Renteria-Garcia, also known as Rodolfo Amescua-Flores, was stopped by the Minnesota State Patrol near Owatonna in connection to the seizure of approximately 235 pounds of marijuana.
If convicted of the federal charge now filed against him, Renteria-Garcia faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Minnesota State Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst.
In some instances, federal prosecution will occur only after the individual is prosecuted for the recent underlying offense. Both men will remain in custody until their current federal cases are resolved. To learn more about the CAP, visit www.ice.gov/criminal-alien-program/
An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
