Mexican man pleads guilty to illegal reentry

MISSOULA - A Mexican man accused of being in the United States illegally admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Baldemar Duarte-Nieto, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry. Duarte-Nieto faces a term of imprisonment of 10 years, a $100,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 13, 2026. Duarte-Nieto was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on June 26, 2025, Duarte-Nieto was found by law enforcement in Kalispell after a short vehicle and foot pursuit. The pursuit reached 80 mph in a residential neighborhood and Duarte-Nieto struck a Toyota Camry filled with four people. A K-9 was deployed to apprehend him. Duarte-Nieto had an arrest warrant from Washington for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance – heroin.

Duarte-Nieto was first removed from the United States in 1996 or 1997, in 2000, and then a week later with a 20-year bar. He was last removed from the United States in November 2021 after an extensive hearing with an Immigration Judge because he used an assumed identity for approximately 20 years.

Duarte-Nieto’s prior convictions include

• 1996 assault with a weapon in Pacific County, Washington;
• 2002 carjacking in Claremont, California;
• 2006 conspiracy/bringing a controlled dangerous substance into a prison in Susanville, California; and
• 2012 false statements in the Western District of Washington.

There are no records within the Department of Homeland Security that Duarte-Nieto ever applied for readmission into the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Homeland Security Investigations, Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

XXX