Man Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the U.S.

A man who entered the United States illegally from Mexico was sentenced on April 16, 2025, to 20 months in prison.

Rafael Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez, age 39, from Mexico, received the sentence after a December 9, 2024, guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry.

At the guilty plea hearing, Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez admitted he had illegally entered the United States from Guatemala after being deported in 2019 from the United States District Court from the Western District of Texas.

On February 2, 2024, Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez was arrested in Buena Vista County for a controlled substance violation and failure to affix drug stamp for being in possession of distribution quantities of cocaine.  On September 30, 2024, Iowa Probation contacted Sioux City, Iowa, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requesting information about Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez, who was recently placed on probation after being convicted of possession with intent to deliver cocaine.  The investigation conducted by ICE revealed defendant is a citizen of Mexico and had previously been removed from the United States on three previous occasions.

Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.          

Martinez De Escobar-Hernandez 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 Kevin C. Fletcher and Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.

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

The case file numbers are 24-CR-04073.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.