Mexican Man Guilty of Illegally Re-Entering the United States

A man who illegally re-entered the United States after having been convicted of a felony offense pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jesus Banuelos-Lepe, 49, who is a citizen of Mexico but had been living in Maurice, Iowa, was convicted of one count of illegal re-entry as a felon.

At the plea hearing, Banuelos-Lepe admitted that on July 20, 2025, he was arrested in Sioux County, Iowa, for operating vehicle while intoxicated.  Following his arrest, he was booked into the Sioux County Jail but provided an alias to law enforcement.  Further investigation proved his true identity as Banuelos-Lepe, a citizen of Mexico who had been removed from the United States on five occasions, and did not have permission to legally be in the United States.  Banuelos-Lepe had previously been convicted of felony transportation of an illegal alien, in April of 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Banuelos-Lepe remains in custody of the United States Marshal Service and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Banuelos-Lepe faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.  

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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).

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

The case file number is 25-CR-04045.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.