U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Accountability in Action: Federal Immigration Prosecutions
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana
January - February 2026
INDIANAPOLIS- Six illegal immigrants, all convicted felons, have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry in the Southern District of Indiana. The prosecutions, which involved defendants arrested in Bartholomew, Hamilton, Henry, and Marion counties, stemmed from separate investigations. Each case was handled independently.
| Defendant | Sentence | Prior Removals | Previous Convictions |
| Francisco Cervantes-Venegas, 36, of Mexico | 4 years, 9 months’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release | January 2015 & April 2017 | 2010 Intentionally Operating a Motor Vehicle without Ever Receiving a License
2013 Intentionally Operating a Motor Vehicle without Ever Receiving a License
2014 Criminal Confinement of a Victim Under 14 (Vehicle Used, Bodily Injury); Domestic Battery Committed in the Presence of a Child Under 16. 2022 Domestic Battery; Criminal Confinement with bodily injury; Strangulation; Sexual Battery by force or Imminent Threat |
| German Lazo Mendez, 36, of Honduras | 4 years, 3 months’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release | September 2015 & May 2019 | Illegal Reentry; Armed Robbey; & Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury. |
| Giovani Ramirez-Soto, 33, of Mexico | 2.5 years’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release | April 2013 & September 2020 | Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 1 Kilogram or more of Heroin and 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine; Illegal Reentry. Pending charges in Marion County: Operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license and leaving the scene of an accident. |
| Bonifacio Ortiz-Pena, 40, of Mexico | 1.5 years’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release | June 2005, February 2020, & March 2020 | Illegal Reentry; Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person; Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated |
| Nelgio Tovias DeLeon-Perez, 46, of Mexico | 1 year, 2 months’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release | April 2008 & April 2014 | Transportation of Illegal Aliens and Aiding and Abetting; Illegal Reentry (x2); Intentionally Operating a Vehicle Without Ever Receiving a License |
| Mauricio Toto-Xolo, 32, of Mexico | Time Served (11 months) | November 2011 & March 2016 | Illegal Reentry |
At the time the defendants entered their guilty pleas, they acknowledged that upon completion of their sentence, they will be subject to removal from the United States. Conditions of supervision require the defendants to surrender to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon release from federal custody.
“Violent criminal aliens who repeatedly violate our immigration laws and endanger our communities must face real consequences,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Through Operation Take Back America, we are unleashing the full force of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens and ensure that those who threaten our security face swift and decisive justice.”
The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judges Matthew P. Brookman, Jane Magnus-Stinson, and Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Eakman, Carolyn Haney, MaryAnn Mindrum, and Meredith Wood, who prosecuted these cases.
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 (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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)
###
Updated March 6, 2026
Topics
Operation Take Back America
Immigration
Component