Twice Deported Felon Sentenced

FORT WAYNE – Joel Sanchez-Lopez, age 33, of Fort Wayne, Indiana was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Holly Brady for illegal reentry of a removed alien, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.

Joel Sanchez-Lopez was sentenced to 15 months in prison and will be deported upon completion of his federal sentence

According to documents in this case, Mr. Sanchez-Lopez is a citizen of Mexico.  In 2008, Sanchez-Lopez was charged and sentenced for felony domestic battery.  In 2009, Sanchez-Lopez was found operating a vehicle while intoxicated at 3 times the legal limit (.24%) while on probation supervision for the felony domestic battery offense.  He was deported back to Mexico in 2010.  However, Sanchez-Lopez returned to the United States in 2014 without legal authorization, and in violation of the 2010 deportation order.  In 2017, he was charged with another domestic battery offense which was later dismissed, and he was again deported to Mexico in November 2017. Sometime in July 2018, Sanchez-Lopez returned to the U.S. without legal authorization and in violation of the 2010 deportation order.  He was found to be illegally present in the U.S. after he was charged in December of 2018 with operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he got into a verbal altercation with his wife, drove off at a high rate of speed and crashed into a ditch.  His blood alcohol was almost 3 times the legal limit (.238%) for the State of Indiana.     

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.  The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Nokes. 

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