Mexican National Indicted For Illegal Re-entry After Deportation

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 27-year-old Mexican national was indicted for entering the United States illegally after previously being deported as an aggravated felon. Hector Rios-Guzman was specifically charged with one count of illegal re-entry after deportation.

The indictment alleges that on May 15, 2013, Rios-Guzman, also known as Hector Rios, was found in the U.S. after being deported to Mexico in 2012, following a 2004 Hennepin County conviction for terroristic threats. On May 15, 2013, Rios-Guzman was arrested following a traffic stop in Bloomington. According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, Rios-Guzman fled the scene on foot before he was arrested. Rios-Guzman has a previous conviction in the District of Minnesota for illegal re-entry.

If convicted of the federal charges now levied against him, Rios-Guzman will face a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. Any sentence would be determined by a federal district court 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 Clifford B. Wardlaw.

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.