Grand Jury Charges Two Mexican Nationals with Illegal Reentry

TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has returned indictments charging two Mexican nationals with violating Title 8 U.S. Code (USC) 1326, illegal reentry. Additionally, one defendant was charged with using fraudulent documents. These are separate cases and not related.

Pedro Martinez-Garcia, 28, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has two previous removals from the United States with the most recent being Oct. 11, 2017. On June 1, 2025, he was found in Marion, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.

Bersain Alvarez-Lopez, 37, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has three previous removals from the United States with the most recent being Jan. 15, 2019. He was again found in the country on May 9, 2025, in Norwalk, Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security to be readmitted. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a fraudulent identification document for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card and a fraudulent Social Security card in violation of Title 18 USC 1546 (a). Additionally, the defendant is charged with misuse of a Social Security Number, in violation of Title 42, USC 408 (a)(7)(B).

The investigations preceding the indictments were conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Rotell Dustin is leading the prosecution.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.

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.