Man from Mexico incarcerated in St. Mary Parish pleads guilty to reentering the U.S. illegally

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Mexican citizen pleaded guilty to a charge that he reentered the United States illegally twice.

Mario Albert Mora-Villa, 41, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, immigration officers encountered Mora-Villa in the St. Mary Parish Detention Center. He admitted that he had been previously removed from the United States in March of 2007 and November of 2011, and he had not obtained permission to return to the country.

Mora-Villa faces two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of October 11, 2016 was set.

United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti is prosecuting the case.