Illegal Alien from Mexico Sentenced to Prison after Returning to the United States Following Two Deportations

A Mexican man who had previously been deported twice was sentenced on September 18, 2017, to 21 months in federal prison.

Abundio Garcia-Gonzalez, age 48, a citizen of Mexico who had been living in Iowa City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 20, 2017, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien after an aggravated felony conviction.

At the guilty plea, Garcia-Gonzalez admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission after having been deported from the United States in 1997 and 2006.  Garcia-Gonzalez, using various aliases, was also given voluntary returns to Mexico five additional times between 1993 and 1998.  Garcia-Gonzalez, using an alias, was previously convicted in California in 1991 of the felony offense of selling cocaine.  In 1996, Garcia-Gonzalez, using an alias, was convicted of the felony offenses of possession of cocaine and escape while felony charges are pending.  Garcia-Gonzalez was also convicted in Indiana in 2002 of aggravated battery.

Garcia-Gonzalez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Garcia-Gonzalez was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment.  A special assessment of $100 was imposed.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Garcia-Gonzalez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 17-CR-0033.

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