Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings on June 29, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, MARTIN DOMINGUEZ-ESTRADA, a 21-year-old citizen of Mexico, pled guilty to illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien. Sentencing will be set at a later date. He is currently detained.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On May 20, 2009, law enforcement officers responded to a residence in Billings after receiving information that an individual at the residence was possibly a foreign-born national with no legal immigration documents.

At the residence officers encountered DOMINGUEZ-ESTRADA, who admitted that he was a citizen of Mexico with no legal documents allowing him to be in the United States. DOMINGUEZ-ESTRADA also admitted that he had been deported approximately 12 years ago.

A review of immigration records confirmed that DOMINGUEZ-ESTRADA had been previously removed from the United States on April 21, 2002, at El Paso, Texas. Further review revealed no evidence that DOMINGUEZ-ESTRADA had received permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reenter the United States after being removed.

DOMINGUEZ-ESTRADA faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Seykora prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.

 

 

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