Mexican National Indicted For Illegal Re-entry After Deportation

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 26-year-old Mexican national was indicted for entering the United States illegally after previously being deported as an aggravated felon. Joel Aguayo-Gomez was specifically charged with one count of illegal re-entry after deportation.

The indictment alleges that on November 5, 2011, Aguayo-Gomez was found in the U.S. after being deported to Mexico in 2011, following a 2008 Ramsey County conviction for aggravated robbery. On November 5, 2011, Aguayo-Gomez was taken into state custody on charges of terroristic threats and strangulation. In August 2013, Aguayo-Gomez was acquitted of all charges, and was placed into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”).

If convicted of the federal charges now levied against him, Aguayo-Gomez will face a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. Any sentence would be determined by a federal district judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

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.