Five Men Charged with Immigration Law Violations in Northwestern Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio – Federal grand juries returned indictments charging four people from Honduras and one from Mexico with violating immigration laws. These are separate cases and not related.

The following were charged with illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8 U.S. Code 1326. They were found in the Northern District of Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.

• Marcos Bardales-Lopez, 26, a citizen of Honduras, was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Dec 6, 2019. He was found in Maumee, Ohio (Lucas County) on Jan. 12.
• Rigoberto Gomez-Arguijo, 45, a citizen of Honduras, was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Oct. 28, 2010. He was found in Marion (Marion County) on Jan. 8.
• Oscar Mendoza, 52, a citizen of Honduras, was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Jan. 17, 2008. He was found in Maumee, Ohio (Lucas County) on Jan. 12.

Additionally, the following defendants were charged with two counts of Possession of a Fraudulent Identification Document:

• Jimy Antonio Portillo-Ramirez, 23, a citizen of Honduras, was found in Vickery, Ohio (Sandusky County) on Jan. 6.
• Jose Alfredo Reyes-Gonzalez, 33, a citizen of Mexico, was found in Oak Harbor, Ohio (Ottawa County) on Jan. 18.

The investigations in these cases were conducted by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava Rotell Dustin, Dexter L. Phillips, and Frank H. Spryszak for Northern District of Ohio.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

These cases are 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, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.